Suspension of retirement contract: We’ll lose experienced hands – Organised Labour tells Mahama

Organised Labour has urged President John Mahama to conduct extensive consultations prior to the rollout of the directive that suspends the granting of contract extension to retired public servants.

The labour representatives argue that the directive has sparked unrest among workers, who express concerns over the potential loss of experienced superiors, individuals with deep knowledge of the workings of the public and civil services.

The leadership from the labour unions spoke exclusively with 3news’ Labour Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Opoku, in Accra on April 8.

The Labour Act 651 of 2003 mandates that the retirement age for public sector workers is 60 years, with those in the mining sector required to retire at 55.

Over the years, many public and civil services employees who reach retirement age have had their contracts extended to retain their expertise.

In Ghana’s public and civil services, over 700,000 workers are currently employed, each year, more than 1,000 of them retire.

However, recent developments have raised concerns, as President John Dramani Mahama has issued a directive to suspend post-retirement employment. The directive has been met with discontent from some leaders of Organised Labour.

The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, said the directive should not take immediate effect.

“I think that there should have been a transition process, for me I think that succession plan is very important. In the current appointment, there are a lot of youth and there are a lot of old. For me, I always say that the development of this country is the hall mark of every Ghanaian, so whatever policies that may come that will help improve and develop the country I am for it, but any policy that comes and try to bring the development of this country down I don’t think I will go for it,” he said.

The General Secretary of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Thomas Tanko Musah, voiced concerns that the directive could negatively impact the retention of institutional memory in the public and civil services.

“Every four years go and let somebody come how do we build strong institutions; how do we have that organisational memory? So, in as much as I believe that when you get to your retirement age you must go, we must be careful taking into consideration the institution in question,” he suggested.

Both leaders have called for broader consultations on the matter to ensure a more inclusive and well-informed decision-making process.

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