A former Minister of Employment under the Kufuor administration, Nana Akomea, has warned that government’s appointment of a trustee to manage the tier two pension scheme will subject the fund to what he described as “political football.”
He remarked that once the government unilaterally chooses Pensions Alliance Trust as trustee, “it’s made that company a political company so if another political party comes, they will have the reason to change it and then it becomes political football.
Twelve labour unions on October 22 laid down their tools indefinitely to protest the management and payment of their tier two pension fund.
Workers have alleged that government has misused the funds already accrued hence the refusal to handover the management of the funds.
But the Communications Minister, Dr. Omane Boamah on Monday rejected the claims and maintained the monies were intact.
The government last Friday secured a court order directing the striking unions to call off their strike within eight days, but the unions insist they will only return when their concerns are addressed.
Sharing his thoughts on the issue on the Citi Eyewitness News’ Point Blank segment, Nana Akomea observed that the public sector workers are aggrieved because “one party has imposed a trustee on the other and that is what is creating the problem.”
He has therefore suggested that the government should settle on a trustee together with the leaders of the various public sector worker unions.
“Let the labour leaders and the government sit down; invite the companies which have been approved and let them come and make presentations to the workers and government …and after the presentations have been made, the two of them will then make the choice of the companies together.”
Nana Akomea was certain that when this is done, there will be no imposition which will breed “cooperation, consultation and collaboration.”
According to him, both government and the labour unions have a similar interest which is to ensure Ghanaians who retire “will have something decent to take home “so if the interest coincide, then let’s work together.”
He added that if that core matter [imposition of trustees] is resolved satisfactorily, “ the issues of accountability, the amounts, the investments, the returns will follow naturally because everybody will be involved.”
The former Employment Minister also cautioned the government over moves that seem to discriminate against private sector workers.
“If government goes to just choose a private company and say because I want to protect public sector workers, then what it is saying is that as for you the private sector people, you are left on your own and I don’t think government should put itself in that position,” he explained.
