By William
Yaw Owusu
Friday,
September 29, 2017
Public sector
workers who were planning to go on indefinite strike over issues related to the
Tier Two Pension Scheme have backed down on their intended action.
The strike was expected
to commence today, but the forum has announced that it has set up a joint technical
committee with the government to examine the issues once again and submit its
report on the way forward within three weeks.
There is currently a
tussle between the Forum for Public Sector Registered Pension Schemes (public
workers) and the government over the control of the Temporary Pension Fund
(TPF) under the Tier Two Pension Scheme.
The workers gave the
government up to the September 29, 2017 to transfer all their funds in the
Temporary Pension Fund Account (TPFA) lodged at the Bank of Ghana (BoG) to
their respective fund managers or risk an indefinite strike.
A statement issued
yesterday by Isaac Bampoe-Addo, the Executive Secretary of the Ghana and the
Civil and Local Government Staff Association (CLOGSAG), who is the Chairman of
the forum said “subsequent to the setting up of a nine-member joint Technical
Committee of the government and the union/associations representing the four
public sector tier 2 pension schemes to submit a report within three weeks as
the final step at resolving the current problem.”
The statement said “the
workers, owing to the setting up of the committee, have suspended temporarily the
intended September 29, 2017 indefinite nationwide strike action communicated earlier
through our press release dated 14th September, 2017, whiles the joint Technical
Committee completes its work.”
At a news conference
in Accra recently, Mr Bampoe Addo said that “our strike is going to be
indefinite not until all out grievances are met and we will make sure this time
around our action becomes very effective.”
He said the continuous
delay in the transfer of the funds from the TPFA at the Central Bank to their
respective custodian fund managers will always create bad blood between the two
parties, saying “we wish to reiterate our frustrations and disappointments at
the manner the government and its agencies have reneged on its adherence to the
out of court settlement in February 2016.”
“The transfer of the
accumulated 5% monthly deductions towards Tier II Pension lodged at the Bank of
Ghana is pending,” adding that “under the defined contribution scheme the risk
on the contributor and his final benefits depend on earnings from investments
and the delay in the release of funds will not auger well for retirees.”
The forum is made up
of unions and associations including the Health Service Workers’ Union, Ghana
Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Ghana Medical Association, Ghana
Physicians Assistants Association, Ghana Hospital Pharmacists Association and
the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists.
The rest include the
Ghana National Association of Teachers, Teachers and Educational Workers Union
of Ghana Trades Union Congress, the National Association of Graduate Teachers,
the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana and the Civil and Local Government
Staff Association, Ghana and the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana.
During the tenure of
the previous Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration,
whose action led to the current standoff, the workers fought very hard to get
the issues resolved but to no avail.
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