Organised Labour will hold an emergency meeting today to decide on the way forward for the nationwide strike after the dramatic changes that followed the group’s declaration of a nationwide industrial action last Friday.
Among issues of consideration at today’s meeting will be the fate of the management and Board of Directors of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) for their supposed roles in the abortive sale of its hotels.
SSNIT last Friday announced the termination of the process to sell 60 per cent of its stake in four hotels, just hours after the prospective investor, Rock City Hotel, officially withdrew its proposal to buy a stake in the four hotels.
READ ALSO: SSNIT terminates sale of 60% shares in four hotels
Sources within Organised Labour on Sunday said that the strike was still in force, and that the meeting at 10 a.m. today would give further direction as to the next step the group would take following the latest developments.
The industrial action received support from affiliate labour unions, each of them issuing statements directing their members to strictly adhere to the strike.
They included the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG), the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the Ghana Private Road Transport Union of TUC Ghana (GPRTU), and the various teacher unions, including the Ghana National Association of Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU).
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) moved a step further with a call for the dissolution of the SSNIT Board and resignation of top management of the pension fund manager.
UTAG position
UTAG said it firmly believed that the Board and top management of SSNIT had demonstrated bad judgement and poor corporate governance skills that significantly eroded public trust in their ability to effectively and efficiently continue carrying out their responsibilities.
“Their initial decision to proceed with this transaction, despite widespread public outcry, indicates a disregard for the sentiments and welfare of the broader populace. This action has undermined confidence in the board and management's capacity to manage our pension funds and assets prudently and transparently,” a statement signed by the President, Prof. Mamudu Akudugu, and the National Secretary, Dr Eliasu Mumuni, indicated.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic yesterday, Dr Mumuni said: “UTAG was in discussion with Organised Labour, and the issue of the dissolution of the board will be part of a broader agenda for tomorrow’s meeting. That is very significant for the UTAG concerning the issue”.
He said when people were put in a position of trust such as SSNIT that looked out for pensioners, they had to know that they were working on behalf of a very vulnerable people, “and, therefore, when transactions such as this comes up and they appeal to the conscience of the leaders, it is only ideal that they listen to the cry”.
“This is not a political issue. If the issue is just political, Ghanaians will leave it in the hands of the two major political parties to combat, but this is beyond politics, and it is all about our pensioners, and so we think that having taken us through this process, it is important the board is dissolved and the management of SSNIT takes a bow. In that way it will guide future transactions,” he stressed.
Background
Organised Labour last Friday declared the industrial action after an emergency meeting among the unions at the Hall of Trade Unions in Accra.
The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, read the statement announcing the strike at a news conference after the emergency meeting.
Dr Baah stated that the strike would be in force until SSNIT immediately “terminates the process to sell 60 per cent of its shares in Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort and Ridge Royal Hotel”.
“From Monday, July 15, 2024, all workers in Ghana must not go to work until SSNIT publicly announces the termination of the process for the sale of its shares in the hotels,” the TUC stated.
The statement was signed by Dr Baah, the Chairman of the Forum of Public Sector Workers, Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Kenneth Koomson.
But Rock City Hotel eventually withdrew its bid before the close of the day.
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