Ranking Member of the Employment, Social Welfare, and State Enterprises Committee of Parliament, Dr. Kwabena Donkor, is urging the government to immediately pay the Tier-two pension of Members of the Tertiary Education Workers Union of Ghana (TEWUG) who are currently on strike.
The strike, which started yesterday, is in response to the government’s failure to address various concerns, including welfare needs, Tier-two pension funds, vehicle maintenance allowance, and overtime allowance.
The union has withdrawn various services, including cleaning the environment, setting up classrooms, providing security, and hospital services.
Commenting on the issue in an interview on Thursday, Dr. Kwabena Donkor says the payment of Tier-two pensions is a legal requirement.
“Employers are expected to pay or remit their second-tier contribution within the stipulated period, so the government is in breach of that, and the government must honor its obligations as an employer. In terms of the allowances and other issues, I would kindly call on the unions to moderate their rightful position in the context of the dire financial straits the country finds itself in. If the government were to settle the outstanding second-tier payments, it would make it easier for some of us to call on the unions to call off their strike,” he stated.