The Trades Union Congress (TUC), a stakeholder and umbrella body of workers in Ghana, has teamed with the Trust to organise another regional educational conference on the Self-employed Enrolment Drive (SEED) with self-employed and informal sector workers/groups within the TUC.
The was organised to help deepen the knowledge of leaders of informal sector affiliates of the TUC such as the Ghana Private Road Transport Union (GPRTU) and Union of Informal Workers Association (UNIWA), the Ghana Actors Guild on the need to sign up for the SEED and encourage them to convince their members to join and benefit from the Scheme.
The meeting was held today, Monday, October 30, 2023, at the Accra Technical University.
Speaking at the event, Director-General Dr. John Tenkorang explained that SEED is an initiative that guarantees contributors who qualify regular source of income, monthly pension during old age until death and offers disability insurance to contributors in the event of invalidity among others.
He noted that it will also provide a life policy by paying the survivors of members who pass on lump sums.
According to him, it also exempts members from paying National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) charges and, most of all, assures that every worker gets social protection.
He said “SEED focuses on enrolling self-employed persons and workers in the informal sector on the SSNIT Scheme to contribute regularly on their full earnings.
It provides social protection in the form of partial income in old age or retirement. To ensure that self-employed persons and workers in the informal sector have social protection and a monthly pension among others”, he added.
He reiterated that SSNIT is the only pension scheme in the country with the finest policies, and he has encouraged all self-employed people to register so that they will not have to rely on others in their old age.
He went on to say that “the scheme is expected to be open to all citizens who want to contribute to the trust, not just government employees in the country.”
The D-G said it was time to bring self-employed persons, who he said were more than workers in the official sector, on board to benefit from the system as well.
Dr. Ofori-Tenkorang said any self-employed person between 15 and 45 years could also enrol onto the scheme and decide the amount to contribute and how often to do so.
Commendation
Mr. B. Patrick, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Trades Union Congress, praised SSNIT for bringing the forum to the region.
He stated that there have been misconceptions regarding who should join SSNIT, and that the scheme’s leadership has helped to dispel those myths.
He urged TUC members who are self-employed to register and participate in the scheme, citing its benefits.
He stated that some people were unaware that self-employed individuals could register, and that the forum had assisted in educating their members.
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
