Organised Labour demands SSNIT to immediately halt sale of hotels to Agric Minister

Organised Labour has issued a stern warning to the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) to stop the reported sale of a 60% stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotel, owned by MP and Minister for Agriculture, Bryan Acheampong.

At a press conference on Monday, May 20, 2024, Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo, Head of the Civil and Local

Read full articleGovernment Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), emphasised that these properties belong to the citizens, and SSNIT, as their manager, should not sell them to just anyone, particularly a state minister. He accused SSNIT of violating investment guidelines and vowed that the union would take action to halt the process.

"We want the government to know that these funds are not government funds. They are pension funds, guided by Act 766, which SSNIT has clearly not followed," Dr. Bampoe Addo stated. "We will not allow them to play 'chaskele' with our funds. If they proceed, it will trigger the mother of all strikes in Ghana."

Dr. Yaw Baah, TUC Secretary-General, questioned the rationale behind the sale, especially to a politician.

"We find it difficult to understand why SSNIT's interest in these hotels should be sold to a company owned by a Minister of State. This is not right. We demand the sale be canceled immediately," he stated.

Dr. Baah criticised the process, noting that the original proposal to sell SSNIT's stake in six hotels had inexplicably reduced to four, rendering the entire process null and void. He also highlighted changes in the payment terms that deviated from the original Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

The sale became controversial after North Tongu MP, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, raised concerns and petitioned the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) to investigate allegations of conflict of interest, abuse of power, and other procurement irregularities. Mr. Ablakwa cited violations of Articles 78(3) and 98(2) of the 1992 Constitution, which he claims represent significant breaches of legal and ethical standards.

SSNIT defended its decision, stating that Rock City Hotel Limited submitted the strongest technical and financial proposal, meeting the criteria set out in the Request for Proposals (RFP). They emphasised that the selection process was transparent and adhered to the Public Procurement Act, with no favoritism involved.

Despite SSNIT's explanation, both Mr. Ablakwa and the TUC remain unconvinced and are calling for an immediate halt to the sale.

Dr. Baah warned that if the Employment Minister does not intervene, Organised Labour will take decisive action.

"We have asked them to halt it earlier. But from all indications, they are speeding up the process. We will not allow state properties to be sold to a minister. This smacks of state capture," he asserted.