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Unions suspend strike | 3News

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Dr. Yaw Baah

The Organised Labour union has suspended its industrial action which began today, Monday 15 July.

This was announced by the General Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Yaw Baah, during a press conference in Accra on Monday, July 15.

Trade unions had called an indefinite strike to undermine the intention of the Social Security and National Insurance Corporation of India (SSNIT) to sell 60 percent of its hotel shares.

“On Friday, July 12, 2024, the unions called on all workers to join an indefinite strike starting today, Monday, July 15, 2024, in support of our demand to end the process surrounding SSNIT’s 60% stake in the four hotels. In a letter dated July 12, 2024, SSNIT informed the unions that it had suspended the sale of 60% of its shares to the owners.

“At an emergency meeting today, July 15, 2024, the unions decided to call off the strike,” said Dr. Yaw Baah.

SSNIT had previously announced that it would stop selling its 60 percent stake in the four hotels.

SSNIT’s decision to cancel the sale followed unions’ earlier announcement to launch a nationwide strike after the National Pensions and Regulatory Authority (NPRA) granted SSNIT approval to proceed with the sale of 60% stake in the four hotels.

In a statement released by the SSNIT on Friday, July 12, the cancellation of the controversial sale of the hotel shares was announced to the public.

“The Board and Management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) wish to inform the public that the process of divesting 60% of SSNIT’s shares in the hotels has been completed,” SSNIT Board Chairperson Elizabeth Akua Ohene said in the statement.

The SSNIT assured pensioners and contributors that the trust’s affairs would be managed “prudently and in the interests of the sustainability of the pension system”.

background

As was announced a few weeks ago, the Rock City Hotel, owned by Agriculture Minister Bryan Acheampong, is the only investor that was successful in the tender to acquire 60% of the shares in the four SSNIT hotels.

The news of the sale of the 60 percent shares in the four hotels sparked discontent across the public.

In its defence, SSNIT stated that the process to sell 60% of its hotel shares began in 2018 and is in the final stages. In addition, Rock City Hotel has met all the requirements to acquire the 60% shares.

It was said that the four hotels up for sale were consistently making losses and SSNIT did not have the resources to revive the hotels, which is why they had to be put up for sale.

When the matter came to light, North Tongu MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa vehemently opposed the plan, saying that civil servants should not “loot and divide” state assets.

He also organized a demonstration to protest the sale of SSNIT hotels. Several unions also opposed the move, prompting the NPRA to order SSNIT on June 28 to suspend its negotiations with Rock City for the sale of four hotels pending further evaluation and agreement.

However, while answering questions in Parliament on Thursday, July 11, Minister of Employment and Industrial Relations Ignatius Baffour Awuah confirmed that the NPRA had given the green light to the sale of the hotels after the authority was satisfied that SSNIT had complied with all prescribed procedures.

He said the NPRA’s order was only to ensure that SSNIT complies with all procedures and documentation and not to prevent SSNIT from selling the hotels altogether.

“Yes, it is true that the NPRA has issued a directive, but I would be grateful if my brother, my colleague, would actually read the NPRA directive. It said that all information about the sale of the hotels had to be provided, which the SSNIT has now done.

“So there was no direct instruction to the SSNIT not to take any action. However, the SSNIT could not proceed until the NPRA, the regulator in this area, confirmed that it had seen all the documents and processes and was of the opinion that everything was in order.

“Yes, well, as a minister, I can tell you from my own experience that the NPRA has now indicated that it has looked into the matter and believes that the SSNIT can go ahead.”

This revelation prompted several unions to take action and call a nationwide strike, after which the SSNIT called off the controversial sale of 60 percent of its shares in the four hotels.

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