The President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu, has stated that the association will not call off its planned strike until it receives an official communique confirming the cancellation of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) sale of a 60% stake in four of its hotels.
NAGRAT and other organized labor groups had scheduled industrial action to begin on July 15, following the National Pensions Regulatory Authority’s (NPRA) approval for SSNIT to proceed with the controversial sale. Dr. Yaw Baah, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), expressed confusion over why the NPRA allowed the deal to go forward without further consultation, especially after initially halting the process.
Rock City Hotel, owned by Bryan Acheampong, had withdrawn its bid to purchase the hotels, citing negative publicity. A statement from SSNIT, issued just before midnight on Friday, July 12, announced that the sale to Acheampong’s hotel had been halted. The statement, signed by SSNIT Board Chair Elizabeth Ohene, who had previously defended the deal, confirmed the termination of the process and assured pensioners, contributors, and the public of SSNIT’s commitment to managing the Trust prudently.
Despite these developments, Angel Carbonu insisted that this was not sufficient reason to end the planned strike. He emphasized the need for an official communique to confirm the decision, citing concerns about the authenticity of the statement in the age of digital fabrication.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile, Carbonu stated, “We are in a technological age, and people are capable of doing anything with technology. We don’t want to take a decision that will embarrass us on Monday morning. We want to get surety that it is the SSNIT board headed by Elizabeth Ohene who actually took the decision and communicated the same to the public.”
He added that once NAGRAT receives an official communique from SSNIT, the leadership will issue a statement regarding their decision.
On the same program, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association (GRNMA), also stated that her association would not call off its strike. She criticized SSNIT for not addressing their concerns directly and for failing to use formal channels such as a press conference or an official letter on SSNIT letterhead.
Ofori-Ampofo emphasized that the strike would still commence on July 15, as GRNMA had gone through extensive steps to decide on the industrial action, and a mere message from SSNIT was not sufficient to change their stance.