General News of Thursday, 14 May 2009

Source: GNA

Organized labour requests meeting with government on pension scheme

Accra, May 14, GNA - Organized Labour has called for a meeting with government to agree on the road map for the implementation of the new pension scheme. A letter to President John Evans Atta Mills dated May 13 obtained by the Ghana News Agency on Thursday said organised labour was deeply concerned about the delay in the implementation of the pension scheme. The statement was signed by Mr Yaw Baah of the Ghana Trades Union Congress, Mr Ben Mingle, Ghana Federation of Labour, Mr Kwami Alorvi, National Association of Graduate Teachers and Ms Irene Duncan-Adanusa, Ghana National Association of Teachers.

It noted that at a Consultative Meeting on April 28, Vice President John Dramani Mahama intimated that the new scheme whose inauguration was scheduled for that day was postponed indefinitely. It said according to Mr Mahama, the postponement was to allow government to prepare the Legislative Instrument on the Act, establish the necessary administrative structures, carry out actuarial studies into Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) finances and study the restructuring of the SSNIT.

It said President John Evans Atta Mills in his May Day address said the implementation of the Scheme had been postponed to enable government to review the Act that established it. It said organised labour was therefore requesting a meeting with the President on the implementation of the Scheme.