Terminating the sale of 4 hotels to Rock City Hotel not enough… SSNIT’s board must be dissolved – Organised Labour

Members of Organised Labour say they will continue with their intended strike which starts today, Monday, July 15, 2024, despite the termination of the sale of four hotels owned by the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to Rock City Hotel until SSNIT’s board is dissolved.

Managers of workers’ pension contributions (SSNIT) put out on sale a 60 percent stake in four hotels it owned to Rock City Hotel, which Agriculture Minister, Bryan Acheampong, owns.

The Deputy Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Mr. Kenneth Koomson speaking in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, on Monday, July 15, 2024, highlighted the contributions of the Ghanaian workers toward Ghana’s independence and added that the strike will not be called off until the SSNIT board is dissolved.

“Ghana’s independence wouldn’t have been possible without the involvement of workers and politicians should know that. The unity displayed on July 12 is just the tip of the iceberg, and going forward, Organised Labour is going to ensure that the ordinary Ghanaian is well taken care of.

SSNIT’s function is to ensure social security for the population and so the leadership (of Organised Labour) recognised that the way by which the hotels were being sold was flawed and if you look at the content of the letter, we said we were not going to call off the strike until SSNIT board is dissolved” he reiterated.

Mr. Koomson further hinted leadership of the various Organised Labour unions will hold an emergency meeting today, Monday, July 15, 2024, to discuss the way forward and that their next line of action will be announced afterward.

“We thought that it was important to assemble today to review the letter that has been written by SSNIT and then take a decision and so today will be a day to communicate to the public where we stand today and an announcement will be made afterward.” He said.

The board and management of SSNIT put up on sale four hotels it owned to Rock City Hotel. The deal nearly went through until the Member of Parliament (MP) for North Tongu Constituency in the Volta Region, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa made public the transaction.

Organised Labour after the expose announced its dissatisfaction with the transaction and called for the deal to be cancelled but the board and management of SSNIT were adamant until the labour unions declared that it would strike indefinitely on Monday, July 15, 2024, if the process was not halted.

SSNIT subsequently terminated the transaction after enormous pressure from other worker unions on Friday, July 12, 2024.