Some workers celebrating May Day
Mr Osman Abengo, the Ashanti Regional Secretary of Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), has called for urgent measures to sign onto the SSNIT pension scheme, all the 11 million workers in the informal sector, who are not yet on the scheme.
“This is not acceptable in a rich and proud middle-middle income country like Ghana. Something has definitely gone wrong in our economic policies”, he said
Mr. Abengo who was addressing a rally held at the Kumasi Jubilee Park to mark this year’s May Day celebration, asked the government to work assiduously to get all category of workers on the scheme, whiles also addressing the pension system, brought on by the inherent flaws in the legislation governing the pension scheme.
The TUC Regional Secretary also advocated a review of the country’ laws on employment, since the current labour laws were not providing adequate protection for workers, particularly in terms of job and income security, health as well as safety.
"We need a law that truly protects workers from the prevailing colonial labour practices in some workplaces," he said, and stressed that it was high time the National Labour Act, 2003, was reviewed to reflect the realities on the ground.
He appealed to the government to work to protect the fundamental rights of tens of thousands of workers being trampled upon unnecessarily.
"Sustainable Pensions for All -the Role of Social Partners", was the theme for the The TUC Secretary indicated that over 11 million people working mainly in the informal economy do not have access to social security.
Mr. Simon Osei-Mensah, the Ashanti Regional Minister, assured that the government would not relent in its efforts at making life comfortable for the Ghanaian worker.
He advised the workers to shun unhealthy practices that affected productivity to the detriment of the growth of the nation's economy.
