The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Branch Manager for Wa, Frank Dubi has deplored the practice where individuals and small-scale units employ family members without making provision for their social security contributions.
He observed that the phenomenon tends to compromise the future of those so engaged.
Mr Dubi expressed the sentiments at the Upper West Regional Pensions Learning Alliance Platform meeting in Wa.
GBC’s Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo in this write-up says the Tamale Zonal Office of the National Pensions Regulatory Authority(NPRA) organised the event for pensions sector stakeholders and the general public to share ideas as well as discuss ways of driving pension penetration in the Upper West Region.
The Wa Branch Manager of SSNIT, Mr Frank Dubi advised employers to register casual workers with the Trust and commented on the use of family members as a shop assistants without social security arrangements.
“Where we live, especially in the Wa community, you get to a store, you see two, three, four people in a store then the owner will tell you, they are my brothers, they are my siblings, I take care of them. They are going to schools, in effect, no securing of their future. But the issue is, what happens should there be death, what happens to such people’s future?”
“And you will see somebody been in the same shop for over 10 years, and we know the disadvantage because the law talks of when one can join the mandatory first tier scheme and when one cannot join [one can from 15 to 45 years]. So if you keep your brother in your shop, meanwhile, you are working and holds membership of CLOGSAG [Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana], you are a teacher, you are a doctor and a nurse. You are having your future being secured then you tell your brother or sister to stay in your store for 10 years, when SSNIT comes to register, you say they are my siblings, you create a whole lot of problems.”
A section participants.
The Head of the Tamale Zonal Office of NPRA, Yakubu Alhassan Fuseini, called for support from the media to update the knowledge of the people on the new pension scheme. He noted: “We are urging the media to assist by helping us in terms of visibility and also promoting the education drive so that we will achieve retirement income security for pensioners in the future. The informal sector controls a huge percentage of the Ghanaian workforce but they don’t contribute to pension. So our aim is to ensure that we penetrate the informal sector, to allow them to also contribute the pension scheme.”
The Corporate Affairs Officer of the Zonal Office of the NPRA, Mohammed Neindow Abdul-Rahaman indicated that the security of pension funds is the most important consideration of the Authority.
“The security of pension funds is our priority. We can all imagine working throughout your life then you will go on retirement and there will be nothing for you. Can we imagine the chaos? So NPRA insists that the monies are safe,” he stated.
The Standards and Compliance Officer of the NPRA Zonal Office in Tamale, Adams Mohammed Isdeen observe that if the country is able to manage the pensions industry very well, it will serve as a catalyst to develop the key sectors of the economy, saying at the moment, the pensions funds for both tiers “1” and “2” are valued at 22 billion Ghana Cedis.
The Acting Upper West Regional Secretary of TUC and Industrial Relations Officer of GAWU, Naa Ingah Nwiniseuri expressed appreciation to NPRA for organising the program to dilate on pension related issues.
Story filed by Emmanuel Mensah-Abludo.