The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has given 75 organisations in Tema one month to pay up in full their workers' social security contributions from January to September this year or face prosecution. The Tema East Branch Manager of the Trust, Mrs Emma Asomani, who issued the ultimatum at a seminar for about 300 employers at Ashaiman at the weekend, said the defaulting companies owed SSNIT GH¢63,400 (¢634 million). The seminar was to explain to employers their obligations under PNDC Law 247 and the benefits of the Social Security Pension Scheme. Mrs Asomani said apart from failing to regularly pay workers' contributions, many employers also had the wrong notion that casual workers in their employment were not entitled to contributions from their employers. She asked employers to update their contributions on behalf of the casual workers in their employment or face prosecution, explaining that SSNIT had been compelled to take drastic action against defaulting companies because the practice of employers withholding workers' contributions from SSNIT was putting the post-retirement welfare of workers in jeopardy. Many employers were paying their employees’ wages and salaries the minimum wage, in contravention of the country’s labour laws, Mrs. Asomani said. She said another challenge facing SSNIT in the operation of its pension scheme was the failure of some employers to submit financial and personal data on their employees to the trust. Where data was submitted, they tended in many cases to be inadequate. She disclosed that between January and September 2007, SSNIT made full and reduced pension payments totalling ¢3.1 billion, lump sum payments of over ¢966 million, invalidity payments of ¢95 million and payments of ¢2billion to survivors of deceased contributors. The Branch Public Relations Officer of SSNIT, Mrs Suad Yahaya, said the trust had begun implementing various programmes designed to significantly improve the services of the organisation to its clients countrywide. The branches of SSNIT throughout the country were being provided with equipment and logistics to enhance their operational efficiency, she said. Mrs Yahaya told the employers that ECOBANK was collaborating with SSNIT to ensure the timely forwarding of data and information to clients of the Trust as and when such information was required. She announced the availability of a new toll free telephone line - 080033333 - for use by clients of SSNIT who sought information at short notice. Source: Daily Graphic