Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has declared an indefinite strike to demand cancellation of the sale of 60 percent shares in four hotels of state-owned Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT).
Gatekeepers News reports that the public trust, SSNIT administers national pension scheme and owns major amounts of stock in Ghana’s principal companies.
GMA, through a notice released on Friday, noted the strike would begin with the withdrawal of all outpatient department (OPD) services from July 15 to 17.
Then, from July 18–21, emergency services will cease, while a total withdrawal of all services will begin on July 22.
Hours before this, the country’s organised labour declared an indefinite industrial action to press home the same demands.
Last month, minister of Employment and labour relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, who is also in charge of Ghana’s pension sector, granted National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA) permission to approve sale of the 60 percent shares of the four hotels.
The shares of the approved hotels which include Labadi Beach Hotel, La Palm Royal Beach Resort, Elmina Beach Resort, and Ridge Royal Hotel were sold to Rock City Hotel Limited, which belongs to Bryan Acheampong, minister for Food and Agriculture.
Baffour-Awah, while speaking to parliament on Thursday, noted that NPRA later directed SSNIT to halt the process for sale of shares to look into certain issues that have now been resolved.
Organised labour and GMA disagreed that the deal to sell the hotels were in the interest of Ghanaian workers.
The union instructed all workers not to go to work from Monday until SSNIT announces termination of the deal to sell shares of the four hotels.
