Isaac Donkor, Former National Chairman of the Senior Staff Association of the University of Ghana chapter, has revealed that the government has failed to remit pension funds for the past nine months.
Speaking on ABC Midday News on September 16, 2024, Donkor voiced deep frustration over the government’s inaction and its impact on their financial security.
His comments come as the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana (SSA-UoG) has embarked on a nationwide strike, beginning Monday, September 16, 2024, due to the government’s inability to address their concerns.
The SSA-UoG’s statement, signed by National Chairman George Ansong on September 13, highlights the government’s failure to implement new rates for Vehicle Maintenance and related allowances, as previously agreed upon.
Additionally, the government has not released Tier Two pension deductions to Fund Managers since January 2024 and has neglected to recalculate interest on Tier Two pension funds from 2010 to 2016.
Despite multiple personal calls, text messages, and official letters, there has been no acknowledgment from the government, leading to growing frustration within the union.
Donkor emphasized that their strike is not politically motivated but a necessary step due to the government’s neglect of their pension funds.
“Elsewhere, pensioners enjoy their retirement, but in Ghana, we are treated like prisoners,” he said.
He urged Ghanaians not to interpret their actions as political but as a defense of their rightful entitlements.
” We’ve made personal calls, text messages have been exchanged, official letters have been written but no acknowledgment.
” So we are frustrated as a union.
“The language the government can understand is redraw of service.
“Elsewhere if you are a pensionaire, you enjoy life. But in Ghana, you are close to being a prisoner because, we don’t pay much attention to our pension funds.
“And for us as Senior staff, we are not going to allow any political party to play with our pension funds.
“Nobody whether you NPP, NDC, CPP or any other political party.
“We care for our pension, and nobody should read meanings to what is going on. Because i can’t pay my pension dues to government, you did the deduction.
“The law says that after the deduction, remit the money to my funds manager, for the money to be reinvested. But
government has kept the money from January 2024 to date.
“So why are you keeping the money.
“So we are begging Ghanaians to not read political meaning to what we are doing.”
“We are Labour Union and we are not interested in politics.”
“If government does not care about our pension, we care.
