SSNIT won't compromise on workers' change of birth dates

Tema, Oct. 25, GNA - The management of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has stated categorically that it would not compromise with workers who try to change their dates of birth. Declaring its stance on the issue at a day's seminar at Tema on Wednesday, Mr Ian Osuteye, Tema Community Two Branch Manager of the SSNIT said every person was born on a particular day and date and therefore could not be born on two days at the same time.

The seminar on the theme: "Know your obligations and benefits under the SSNIT Pension Scheme", was organised by the Tema Community Two branch of the SSNIT for employers in both the public and private sector. He said though SSNIT regulations allow changes to be made on their documents, changes in dates of birth would not be allowed.

Mr Osuteye stressed the need for workers to be honest while regularizing their SSNIT documents to avoid encountering problems when they were due for retirement.

On the payment of benefits to retirees, the Branch Manager said SSNIT was not to blame for delays but that employers often delayed submission of their workers contribution for processing for the purpose. He said for instance 567 out of 1,748 establishments within the Community Two operational areas owed SSNIT to the tune of 8.5 billion cedis besides current debts.

"How do we pay meaningful pension when very huge amount of money meant for investments are locked up with employers", he asked. Mr Osuteye warned workers against conniving with their employers to under declare their contributions, as they would eventually be affected on their retirement.

On the repayment of students' loan, he impressed on guarantors to insist on taking the particulars of students for easy location should they default in the payment so that they as guarantors would not be at the disadvantage.

Mr Kwame Kusi, Tema Area Manager of SSNIT advised workers against double registration for Social Security numbers as they stood to lose. He urged employers to discourage impersonation by bereaved families that did not deserve entitlements but adopted dubious means to collect benefits of "deceased staff".

Ms Eva Amagashie, of the Public Affairs Unit said SSNIT was aggressively adopting measures to reach workers swiftly and had established links with some banks to achieve the purpose. She called on workers to always contact SSNIT at any nearest branch office when in doubt of any action taken against them rather than resorting to the use of radio stations.