SSNIT hotels saga: ‘TUC woke up too late’ – Prof. Bokpin

Professor Godfred Alufar Bokpin of the University of Ghana Business School has noted that the Trades Union Congress (TUC) was too late in its reaction to the attempted sale of four of its hotels being managed by SSNIT.

He says the time the Congress came out to express its disapproval of the sale of the assets was too delayed.

According to him, Organised Labour should have come out early to declare its stance rather than the time it waited to come out on the matter.

The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) had attempted selling its 60 per cent shares in some four hotels to the Minister of Food and Agriculture, Bryan Abbey Acheampong.

The transaction, which appeared to be on the blindside of many, despite the Trust’s insistence that it advertised the bid, was disclosed to the public by the Member of Parliament for North Tongu, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa.

Organised Labour, following the government’s refusal to back down on the transaction, after several calls to halt the sale amid a demonstration on the matter, declared a nationwide strike which compelled the government to rescind its decision.

In light of the development, a former Chief Justice, Sophia Abena Boafowaa Akuffo, accused the Trust of deliberately running down the hotels just like other state enterprises so they could share the assets amongst themselves.

Meanwhile, SSNIT has denied the claims saying it used due process to grant the bid to the Agric Minister, Bryan Acheampong.

Commenting on the issue, Prof. Bokpin indicated that the TUC acted too late on the matter.

“My considered view is that, TUC woke up too late. They probably woke up around midday when work started around 6am. They woke up too late because they have one too many of these issues in this country,” he stated on The Big Issue, a segment on TV3’s NewDay Tuesday, July 30, 2024.

Source:onuaonline.com