Posted on:
www.dailyguideghana.com
By William Yaw
Owusu
Thursday,
November 17, 2016
Public sector workers have rescheduled the planned strike action aimed
at mounting pressure on the government to pay their mandatory monthly deductions
under the Tier 2 Pension Scheme.
According to the workers, who have formed a forum to push for the
smooth operation of the 2nd Tier Occupational
Pension Schemes, the Mahama-led government has been given up till Monday,
November 21 to make payment into the pension funds or suffer the consequence.
It emerged that the NDC government has
not paid the mandatory 5% Tier Two Monthly deductions since the scheme
commenced in April 2016.
According to the workers, the government
is hampering the smooth operation of the 2nd Tier Occupational
Pension Schemes in the public sector which has put the pensions of workers in
danger.
At news conference in Accra yesterday,
Dr. Isaac Bampoe-Addo, Executive Secretary of Civil and Local Government Staff
Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), who doubles as Chairman of the Forum of Public
Sector Labour Unions, said the leadership of the unions had resolved that if
the governments fails to make payment into the fund by Monday, the workers will
commence indefinite strike across the country.
“As a forum, having evaluated the outcomes of series of meetings
with various stakeholders, including the
Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Finance/Controller and
Accountant General’s Department, National Pension Regulatory Authority and the
presidency on the way forward for the implementation of the Tier 2 pensions for
public sector workers, we have resolved to embark on strike if our demands are
not met.”
He said they are looking forward to “complete actualization” of all
decisions the forum took with the government, including payment of funds to the
custodian banks of the various schemes before Monday.”
“We call on our members to remain calm,” Dr. Bampoe Addo said,
adding that “leadership will communicate the way forward to members vis-a-vis
our quest for the transfer of funds to our pension schemes by the employer
(government) on 22nd November 2016.”
Twelve labour unions that are threatening nationwide strike include the Health Service Workers Union (HSWU), Ghana Registered Nurses
Association (GRNA), Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Physician Assistants
Association (GPAA), Ghana Hospital and Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), Ghana
Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists (GACRA), Ghana National
Association of Teachers (GNAT), Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union (TEWU)
of TUC, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Coalition of
Concerned Teachers (CCT), Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG)
and the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG).
Dr. Bampoe-Addo confirmed that the
leadership of the forum and other Organized Labour met President Mahama on
Tuesday but said they were only waiting for what he called “complete
actualization of all the decisions taken.
Mahama’s Directive
At the behest of President John Mahama, the
leadership of the various workers group met the Attorney General and the
Minister of Employment and Labour Relations in May 2015 to settle the case
out-of-court which was initiated by the government against the workers over the
Tier 2 scheme.
The government, as the employer, agreed
to ensure that effective April 1, 2016 it would transfer the 5% Tier 2 monthly
deductions made by the Controller and Accountant General and pay directly to
the pension custodian banks duly appointed by the government itself.
It was also agreed that the National
Pension Regulatory Authority (NPRA) shall ensure that the transfer of funds
currently held in the Temporary Pension Fund Account (TPFA) at the Bank of
Ghana (BoG) to custodian banks of the four schemes was completed by July 2,
2016.
The government again promised to
reimburse the defendant workers “reasonable expenses incurred in setting up
their trusts and schemes, as well as any reasonable legal fees incurred in the
course of the litigation of the suit.”
Dr. Bampoe-Addo said, “The delay in
transferring the 5% Tier 2 monthly deductions to custodian banks nominated by
the government itself is worrying.”
He said the leadership of the workers had
made every effort to get the audited TPFA but the government had simply denied
them.
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