Recruiting over 350,000 into public sector doesn’t add up; Govt lied – Quashigah

Member of Parliament for Keta, Richard Quashigah says the Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta’s assertion that government has recruited over 350,000 people into the public sector “doesn’t add up”.

According to him, data from the National Pensions Regulatory Authority indicates there has been a negative growth of 5 percent in 2018 compared to 10 percent recorded in 2016 to 2017 under the National Social Security Scheme therefore, Ken Ofori-Atta’s claims are misleading and untrue.

“What that therefore means is that, there has not been enough people who have been engaged in the public sector and therefore as people retire, we’re not getting enough people to benefit from the pensions scheme” Quashigah said this on the floor of Parliament on Tuesday, November 19 during the 2020 Budget Debate in Accra.

Quashigah added that the growth of the private pension assets, available for benefits, has also slowed from 2017 to 2018 recording about 18 percent positive growth compared to 60 percent posted from 2016 to 2017 and that indicates that the ‘private sector is not functioning’.

“Mr Speaker, if ideally indeed, this government believes that they are creating jobs, they should’ve been able to tell us as a people the total number jobs they have created over the period but they have not been able to tell us,” he said.

The Keta MP said there will be labour unrest next year because the labour unions have signalled they won't accept anything less than a 100 percent treasury rate.

“There’s a whole lot of confusion and they already know it that by next year there’s going to be turbulence and labour unrest because they won’t accept a 50 percent treasury rate,” he added.



Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta presenting his 2020 Budget and Economy last Wednesday, November 13 told the floor of Parliament that government has transferred some GHS3.1 billion of Tier 2 pension funds into the custodial accounts of the pension schemes of the labour unions.

“With stronger finances, Government also transferred some GHS3.1 billion of Tier 2 pension funds into the custodial accounts of the pension schemes of the labour unions, funds that had been outstanding since 2013. That is real change,” Ken Ofori-Atta stated.