Organised Labour calls off nationwide strike …gives SSNIT one-month ultimatum to address all outstanding issues

ORGANISED Labour yesterday called off its nationwide strike and gave Social Security and Nation­al Insurance Trust (SSNIT) one-month ultimatum to address all outstanding issues related to the management of pensions other­wise they will advise themselves.

The union therefore directed workers across the country to resume work today, but warned that they would have no option than to embark on a strike again if SSNIT failed to address their concerns.

The Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, said this in Accra, yesterday, at a press conference after the Organised Labour called of its nationwide strike in protest of the pro­posed sale of the 60 per cent stake in the shares of SSNIT four hotels.

This follows the move by SSNIT to rescind its decision to offload 60 per cent shares in its Labadi Beach, La Palm Beach, Royal Ridge and Elmina Beach Hotels to a private operator.

The SSNIT Board in a statement signed and issued by its Chairperson, Ms Elizabeth Akua Ohene, on Saturday, said the “board and management of SSNIT wish to inform the pub­lic that the process to divest 60 per cent of SSNIT’s stake in the hotels had been terminated.”

In a related development, Rock City Hotel, in a letter dat­ed July 12, 2024, announced its decision to withdraw its bid to purchase the 60 per cent shares of the four hotels.

In a statement issued yes­terday and signed by Dr Baah, Chairman of the Forum of Public Sector Workers, Dr Isaac Bampoe Addo, Deputy Secretary General of Ghana Federation of Labour, Kenneth Thompson, the TUC Boss said the decision to call of the strike was taken at an emergency meeting held in Accra, yester­day.

“We thank all the working people of Ghana and all Or­ganised Labour groups for their support,” Dr Baah stated.

Meanwhile, Clement Adzei Boye reports from Takoradi that the sit down strike action by the GPRTU within Sekon­di-Takoradi appeared “not to be holding” as drivers at various stations continued their usual routine work yesterday.

He said when Ghanaian Times visited the Anaji routes through Kansaworodo, Kojokrom, Fiaji, Westline Sekondi, Essikado to Takoradi, around 6:30 a.m, commercial vehicles were on the road working.

Mr Boye said at about 8 a.m, when he visited the main Accra station, near the Airforce Base, the story was the same with drivers at work.

Similarly, he said Tarkwa main station where vehicles carried passengers to the Tarkwa, Prestea, Essiama, Agona Nk­wanta destinations and border route including Elubo, Half Assini and Jaway Wharf drivers were at work.

On the health front, when the Ghanaian Times visited the Takoradi Hospital (European Hospital) around 9 a.m, staff of the Accident and Emergen­cy (A&E) Department, Eye, XRAY, Antenatal and Post Natal, had reported for work.

He, however, said the Out- Patients Department (OPD) was closed and the usual Mon­day bustle and queues at the department was missing.

Kingsley Hope reports from Kumasi that at the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation Asafo Dadiesoaba branch in Kumasi, the Ghanaian Times saw some few staff sitting idling in the newsroom and other offices.

He reported that the mid-day news bulletin of the station was not broadcasted.

At the Ashanti Regional Coordinating Council, Mr Hope reported that the staff members were only seen mingling with each other without attending to any work.

Lawrence Vomafa-Akpa­lu reports from the Adentan Court Complex at Frafraha in the Greater Accra Region, that some litigants who were at the court to seek redress on their cases had to go home disap­pointed as a result of the strike action embarked upon by the labour unions which include the Judicial Service staff.

When the Ghanaian Times got to the court premises at 8 a.m, the car park was empty with only the security at post attend­ing to the clients without any of the staff present.

A businessman Seidu Ali in an interview with the Ghanaian Times expressed disappointment at the turn of events, and said he was there to stand as surety for a friend only to be told they court staff were on strike and prayed for an amicable settle­ment of the issue for the court to resume sitting.

Francis Dabre Dabang re­ports from Bolgatanga compli­ance of the strike action in the Bolgatanga Municipality were mixed as some workers report­ed to work and others refused.

No single teacher was spotted at the Bukere Primary School, Soe Primary, St. Paul Junior High School (JHS) and the Abilba cluster of schools.

The courts in Bolgatanga did not sit on Monday, following the strike action, and one of the registrars when contacted on phone, said they were in full support of the strike action triggered by Organised Labour.

However, the story was differ­ent at the Lands Commission, where some officials were busy working on documents for their clients.

When interrogated, an Assistant Land Officer, Elijah Tobazaa, said they were yet to receive a formal communication from their head office and until then, they had to remain at post to serve their customers.

Meanwhile, workers de­partments such as the Town and Country Planning, Sports Council, Attorney-General which shared the same building with the Lands Commission, had deserted their offices in compliance with the directive from Organised Labour, asking all staff from the public sector to lay down their tools until further notice.

Samuel Agbewode reports from Ho that teachers in basic and Senior High Schools in the Volta Regional capital Ho, complied with the Organised Labour strike action and did not report to work.

He said when he visited the Evangelical Presbyterian (E.P) Church Mawuko Girls Senior High School (SHS) and Mawuli SHS, he saw only students in the classrooms without teachers.

At the Seventh Day Adven­tist (SDA) basic schools, both teachers and pupils were absent and few of the pupils seen around told this reporter that they did not know of the strike until they came to school.

The Volta and Oti Regional Secretary of TUC, Mrs Edith Amenuvor Afewu, told the Gha­naian Times that the members of TUC in the two regions were on strike till further notice.

It would be recalled that the Ghanaian Times yesterday published that a total of 10 labour unions embarked on a nationwide strike in protest of the proposed sale of the 60 per cent shares in SSNIT’s four hotels.

They are the University Teachers Association, Ghana Medical Association, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana National Association of Teachers, and the National Association of Graduate Teach­ers and Public Utility Workers Union.

Others were Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana, Teachers and Educa­tional Workers Union, the Ju­dicial Service Staff Association of Ghana, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives’ Associ­ation, and General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Work­ers Union.

BY TIMES REPORTERS