Informal workers counseled to join SSNIT scheme

Guidance and Counselling students of the University of Education, Winneba, ‘Practicum II Group 8', has called on employees of the informal sector to join a pension scheme.

The group said failure for the employees to do so could lead to severe hardships in future when they are no longer fit to work.

The group made the call at a forum they held in Winneba to educate the public on the need for voluntary contribution to Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) scheme to facilitate a happy old age.

The programme which is part of the academic work of the students was on the theme: “Preparing for Old Age in the informal Sector,” and was attended by a cross section of the people in the community.

The group under the leadership of Mr Abdallah A. Essel took participants through topics including, what is SSNIT informal sector pension scheme, how different is the SSNIT informal sector pension scheme, who is eligible to join the SSNIT informal sector pension scheme, how do one register to become a member and how does one pay his or her contribution.

The people who attended the programme mostly fisher-folks and self-employed were counseled to use part of their resources to contribute to the SSNIT, which provides members with benefits that are based exclusively on contributions.

The group also educated them on benefits that could be enjoyed including old age pension/lump sum, disability benefits and survival benefits.