Senior Lecturer at the University of Ghana’s Political Science department, Prof Ransford Gyampo is asking government to communicate with labour before they implement policies in regard to their pension funds.

According to him, if government’s claims that it had a better proposition for their pension and intended to safeguard their pensions were true, then government needed to have an in-depth discussion with them.

 “If government has a better deal for us [labour union] which we doubt, they should sit us down and dialogue with us. Through dialogue, you are able to achieve or arrive at certain consensus.

“But it appears that this government, one of its deficiencies or its weakness, is its inability to dialogue. You want to go for people's money and you cannot even dialogue with them. Who does that?” he stressed while speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show, on Tuesday, May 2.

Prof Gyampo further highlighted that the Union would not allow for government to add their pension funds to the debt exchange programme.

He explained that Labour had recommended several ways government could generate more revenue, however, it appeared that their suggestions had fallen on deaf ears.

The Senior Lecturer also referenced the President indicating that the Union had signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) and agreed to work together with government to attain its aim.

But Prof Gyampo contended that government was not observing the agreement that was proposed in the MOA the Union had signed.

Although he admitted that the Union had signed the MOA, he indicated that “the proposal that we're thinking about when we signed that MOA has all not been heeded.

"Everything that we said the government should do and to leave our pensions alone, the government appeared not to be listening.

“The government wants to safeguard its own pensions…They are having accounts and keep their money abroad. We have something little here you are leaving yours and you want to come for ours I don't think it's going to work,” the academic stressed.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/finance-minister-requests-participation-of-pension-funds-in-new-proposed-offer/

Also on the same segment, the president of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Angel Carbonu stated that the Union had never been in support of any government administration going to the IMF to seek a bailout.

https://www.myjoyonline.com/do-not-touch-our-pension-funds-tuc-tells-government/

He explained that the policies of the IMF were always disadvantageous to Ghanaian workers, hence their opposition to government seeking funds from the IMF.

“It looks as if the impression is being created now that to get the IMF deal is an achievement. Please; to get an IMF deal brings untold suffering on the Ghanaian worker,” Mr Carbonu stressed.