Organized labour to strike on July 15 over the sale of SSNIT hotels

The leadership of organized labour, made up of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and other unions, has decided to embark on a nationwide strike on Monday, July 15, due to the government’s insistence on selling a 60% stake in hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).

The strike is to compel the government to cancel the sale of the hotels to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong’s Rock City Hotel Limited.

At a news conference in Accra on July 12, the leadership said it would only rescind the decision if the management of SSNIT terminates the sale agreement.

The Secretary-General of TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, said they are disappointed in the statement by the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour Awuah, that the hotels have been sold.

He therefore asked all labour unions to proceed on strike from Monday, July 15, 2024.

“The Board of NPRA issued a directive to SSNIT to suspend the sale of the hotel, we, therefore, find it extremely difficult to understand how and why NPRA will turn around to approve such a flawed deal two weeks after the directive.”

“Organised labour would like to reiterate this well-known position that the proposed sale of SSNIT shares in the four hotels is not in the best interest of Ghanaian workers.”

“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 hotel,” he stressed.

The Executive Secretary of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), Isaac Bampoe Addo, insisted workers would not allow the hotels to be sold.

“Workers in Ghana have spoken. We will no longer allow any government, whichever colour, to play “chaskele” with our pension funds,” he asserted.

The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori Ampofo, called on all health workers to join the strike.

“We are not going to work on Monday. A road map will be communicated to you,” she announced.

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Musah Tanko, said workers will not allow the sale to go through.

“The message is clear, until the government, specifically SSNIT, terminates the sale of 60 percent of the hotels they intend to sell.”

“And we believe that we will not be led into further temptation where we are now. Whoever is listening, we hope that the workers’ request will be granted as soon as possible,” he added.