Kwamena Duncan, Former Central Regional Minister, has lambasted the Trade Union Congress (TUC) for its position on the Social Security and National Insurance Trust’s (SSNIT) move to divest its interests in four hotels.
Mr. Duncan’s remarks come amidst ongoing controversy surrounding SSNIT’s proposed sale of its 60% stake in four hotels to Rock City Hotel, a company owned by Bryan Acheampong, the Minister of Food and Agriculture and Member of Parliament for Abetifi.
Commenting on the deal that has sparked widespread criticism and concerns about conflict of interest, Kwamena Duncan raised doubts about the TUC’s impact on SSNIT’s decisions.
Furthermore, he voiced dismay at the seeming passivity of the four organized labor representatives on the SSNIT Board of Trustees, who failed to take a stance or raise objections before the decision to sell the hotels was made.
“Do they go for board meetings? Well, if they go, do they understand the issues which are discussed there? Do they go to sleep? What happens to the four representatives of organized labor?”
Kwamena Duncan
More so, Kwamena Duncan lambasted the TUC representatives on the SSNIT Board for dereliction of duty, arguing that their passive stance could have resulted in the loss of Ghanaians’ hard-earned savings.
He believes that organized labor representatives should take a more proactive and collaborative approach, working with stakeholders to address the issue, rather than simply expressing their discontent in public.
As such, he emphasized that the Trade Union Congress’s public posturing and threats directed at the government are mere rhetoric, and will not yield any tangible solutions to the pressing issues at hand.
Accordingly, he stressed that the TUC’s ongoing inaction will perpetuate the depletion of the funds managed by SSNIT, which are meant to benefit its contributors, most of whom are TUC members, thereby undermining their hard-earned savings.
Acheampong’s Dual Roles Raise Legal Concerns
Meanwhile, Lawyer Ralph Agyapong points out that Bryan Acheampong’s position as a director of Rock City Hotels Limited, combined with his ministerial role, constitutes a legal quandary, as it blurs the lines of interest and creates an untenable situation in his bid to purchase the shares.
He emphasized that beyond the political rhetoric, the concerns about conflict of interest have merit because they do not need to be actual, merely perceived, to be problematic, and therefore warrant careful consideration.
“Legally, he didn’t need to buy it. There is now the issue of whether the sale had gotten parliamentary approval and whether the TUC was involved in this sale at all. For the benefit of law students, as a director so registered at the Registrar General, the appointed person and you will be called when an issue arises because a minimum of two directors are needed to register a limited liability company.
Ralph Agyapong
Furthermore, he observed that, under the law, a director is considered the ‘directing mind’ of the company, meaning they are presumed to have a deep understanding of the business and its interests and are therefore accountable for its actions.
As such, he clarified that Bryan Acheampong’s current status as a director of Rock City needed to be terminated upon his assumption of public office, as this was a necessary step to avoid conflicts of interest and ensure compliance with ethical standards.
“Joe Ghartey and Godfred Dame are well versed in these basic company law issues and they should be educating NPP communicators“. – Ralph Agyapong
Meanwhile, Hon. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, who exposed the SSNIT hotel sale involving the minister, recently accused SSNIT of withholding crucial details of the deal from the public.
As such, he urged organized labor to follow through on its threat of an industrial strike if the government fails to listen, while also calling on CHRAJ to expedite its investigation into the deal.
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