Organised labour suspends strike

Organised
Labour
has
suspended
its
industrial
action
which
started
today
Monday,
July
15.

This
was
announced
by
the
Secretary
General
of
the
Trades
Union
Congress
(TUC)
Dr
Yaw
Baah
during
a
news
conference
in
Accra
on
Monday,
July
15
monitored
by
TV3’s
Daniel
Opoku.

Organised
labor
had
declared
an
indefinite
strike
over
the
move
by
the
Social
Security
and
National
Insurance
result
(SSNIT)
to
sell
60
percent
shares
of
its
hotels.

“On
Friday
the
12th
of
July
2024
organized
labour
called
on
all
workers
to
join
an
indefinite
strike
starting
today
Monday
15th
of
July
2024
to
back
our
demand
for
the
termination
of
the
process
towards
the
stake
of
60
of
SSNIT
shares
on
the
four
hotels.
In
a
letter
dated
12th
of
July
2024,
SSNIT 
informed
organized
labor
that
it
had
terminated
the
sale
of
60
of
its
stake
in
the
holders.

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

This
comes
after
SSNIT
announced
its
discontinuation
of
the
sale
of
the
60%
shares
in
the
four
hotels.

SSNIT’s
decision
to
discontinue
the
sale
followed
the
earlier
notice
by
labour
unions
to
embark
on
a
nationwide
strike
following
approval
by
the
National
Pensions
and
Regulatory
Authority
(NPRA)
for
SSNIT
to
procced
with
the
sale
of
60%
shares
in
the
four
hotels.

A
statement
released
by
SSNIT
on
Friday,
July
12
announced
to
the
public
the
termination
of
the
controversial
sale
of
the
shares
in
the
hotels.

“The
Board
and
management
of
Social
Security
and
National
Insurance
Trust
(SSNIT) 
wish
to
inform
the
public
that
the
process
to
divest
60%
of
SSNIT’s
stake
in
the
hotels
has
been
terminated,”
Board
Chair
of
SSNIT
Elizabeth
Akua
Ohene
said
in
the
statement.

Background

Rock
City
Hotel,
owned
by
Agriculture
Minister
Bryan
Acheampong
was
revealed
few
weeks
ago
has
the
sole
investor
which
satisfied
the
bidding
process
to
purchase
60%
of
shares
in
SSNIT’s
four
hotels.

It
said
the
four
hotels
which
were
put
up
for
sale
were
running
consistent
losses
and
SSNIT 
has
no
funding
to
revive
the
hotels,
hence,
the
need
to
put
it
up
for
sale.

He
further
organised
a
demonstration
to
protest
against
the
sale
of
SSNIT
Hotels.
Various
labour
unions
also
spoke
against
the
move
which
further
prompted
the
NPRA
to
direct
SSNIT
on
June
28
to
suspend
its
negotiations
with
Rock
City
over
the
sale
of
four
hotels,
pending
further
evaluation
and
engagement.

However,
answering
questions
on
the
floor
of
Parliament
on
Thursday,
July
11,
Employment
and
Labour
Relations
Minister,
Ignatius
Baffour
Awuah
confirmed
that
NPRA
has
given
the
go
ahead
for
the
hotels
to
be
sold
after
the
Authority
was
satisfied
that
SSNIT
has
complied
with
all
due
processes.

He
said
the
directive
from
the
NPRA
was
only
to
ensure
that
SSNIT
had
complied
with
all
the
processes
and
documentation
and
not
to
completely
prevent
SSNIT
from
selling
the
hotels.

“Yes,
so,
as
a
minister,
I
can
tell
you
tell
you
on
authority
that
NPRA
has
since
indicated
that
they
have
seen
the
processes,
and
they
think
that
SSNIT
can
go
ahead.”