Dr. John Ofori-Tenkorang, Director General of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), has urged workers who suspect that their social security contributions are not being paid to contact their local offices.
He said the first step is to check their statements at any SSNIT branch or through their website to verify if the contributions are being paid.
He indicated that subscribers to SSNIT receive statements every quarter; hence, every worker ought to receive them in their emails.
According to him, if there is any employee who has changed his or her email, they have to inform SSNIT.
After all, these have been done, yet the employer is not paying, the employee must inform SSNIT.
The employee would then have to inform SSNIT, so officers would be deployed to the company to investigate.
Aside from that, the employee could walk into any SSNIT branch and tip-off, and the individual would be protected.
The staff of SSNIT, he assured, has been trained to be very sensitive to these kinds of tip-offs so that the person who is giving out the information is not compromised.
“Once that is done, we then send our compliance and enforcement team to that particular establishment and inspect their books, do interviews as may be required, and ascertain who is a worker and whose contribution is being paid and not paid.
We do that discretely, and so I will urge you not to be afraid to tell us what is going on. But before you do that, please check your statement to make sure that your contributions are indeed not getting paid.
He stressed the need for workers to also update their emails with SSNIT so they will receive their statements quarterly.
The Director General said this on Thursday, January 11, 2024, when SSNIT announced the 15% indexation.
The law, he said, gives SSNIT “the powers to compel employers to pay the social security contributions of every worker on or before the 14th day of the ensuing month, and failure to do so allows them to levy some interest or penalties on the monies that have not been remitted. Failure to pay the contributions, penalties, or interests allows us to take that employer to a Saturday court, be served with a criminal sentence, and be compelled to pay.”
By: Rashid Obodai Provencal/Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
