Upper East members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), have called on Organised Labour to expedite action to guard the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766). The call was necessitated by the recent efforts by government to include Pension Funds in its proposed Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP) to save the country’s economy from further decline.

At the 2023 May Day celebration, held in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional members of CLOGSAG in a procession led by the National 1st Trustee, CLOGSAG, Emmanuel Acquah and the National Treasurer, CLOGSAG, Ernest Tagoe, displayed placards to drum home their grievances.

Some placards displayed were; “SSNIT Should Be Restructured In Fulfillment of The BEDIAKO COMMITTEE REPORT”; “Labour was INSTRUMENTAL In The Establishment of the 3Tier PENSIONS SCHEME”; “SSNIT, GO BY NLC DIRECTIVES ON PAST CREDITS”; “Wake Up Labour, Act 766 Must Be Guarded Jealously”.

The Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo, in a speech dubbed: “Safeguarding Pension Incomes now, to avoid old age crisis”, emphasised the need to maintain the existing Pension structure due to the current economic crisis of the country.

He therefore, counted on members’ relentless support in the fight for better conditions of Service and a joint effort with other Unions to protect pension funds and schemes. “Posterity would not forgive us if we do not succeed in this endeavor”, he stressed.

“CLOGSAG is sending a warning signal to all forces, both visible and invisible, to steer clear of current Pension arrangements as enshrined in the National Pension Act, 2008 (Act 766)”, he said. “He who has ears, let him hear this message”, he added.

Touching on the Presidential Commission on Pensions (PCP) in 2004, chaired by the late Dr. T.A. Bediako, the Executive Secretary, noted that the Commission emphasised that by contributing towards a 3-Tier pension scheme, workers would receive gratuities or lump sums that are comparable to or better than what is paid under Cap 30. He added that the recommendations made by the Presidential Commission on Pensions were endorsed by Government which eventually culminated into the National Pensions Act, 2008 (Act 766).

Dr. Bampoe Addo, in his message, recalled some successes chalked by the Association over the years. These, he noted, include negotiation with government to exempt Pension Funds from the Domestic Debt Exchange Programme (DDEP), members easy access to their records at minimal charges due to the autonomous trust incorporated to CLOGSAG to administer and manage Tier-2 and Tier-3 Schemes for its members.

“Also, in the formative years of the schemes, CLOGSAG had to ward off shrewd consultants who attempted to control the privately managed schemes set up by the Association”, he disclosed.

Speaking on Past Credits of members, the Executive Secretary, hinted that members who were in Service before January 1, 2010, have past credits in the custody of SSNIT. According to him, negotiations between Government, The FORUM and SSNIT resulted in SSNIT adjusting interest rates on past credits although below commercial rates.

“We call on SSNIT to transfer all past credits of members within the public sector to their respective schemes as directed by the National Labour Commission (NLC) in 2020”, he stressed.

To mark the global recognition of the contributions of the working class, the 2023 May Day celebration in the Upper East Region, dubbed “Protecting incomes and pensions in an era of economic crisis: Our responsibility”, was graced by His Excellency, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, Ministers of State, members of Organised Labour including; CLOGSAG; the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT); National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT); Ghana Medical Association (GMA); the Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL); Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA), Local Government Workers Union, amongst others.