Campaign To Register Private, Informal Sector Workers To Roll Out In April – SSNIT
The Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) has revealed that it will commence a sensitization campaign in April to encourage informal and private sector workers to patronize the pension scheme.
Acting Public Affairs Manager of SSNIT, Charles Akwei Garshong, speaking on JoyNews’ The Law, on Sunday said the campaign will specifically target celebrities and all those in the informal sector, to enlighten them of the importance and benefits of pension plans.
“And so, this year, we are rolling out a campaign hopefully from April, because a lot of people in the private sector or the self-employed, the celebrities and all that, they have this perception that SSNIT is for only employees of formal sectors but that is not the case, SSNIT is for all of us, we all have the same risk of becoming old or losing our regular jobs through accidents or any other means,” he said.
Mr Garhong attributed the move by SSNIT to the wrong perception by some people that pension schemes are for only those in the formal sector.
He states this is however not true, adding that pension schemes are to ensure that one has a secured future.
“The SSNIT scheme is open to all workers, the law is clear on that, it applies to employees and the self-employed, so you probably might be a consultant in a corner somewhere, you are a legal practitioner, you’re an architect, an Uber driver or coconut seller, you have the right to join the scheme and enjoy the benefits of the scheme as any other worker,” he said.
“So the one who sells at Makola can simply walk into the SSNIT office and say I want to register because I see myself becoming old someday, I cannot continue doing the work I am doing, or I foresee that anything could happen to me, I could become invalid within the next few years, so in that stage, once the person has done 12 months of contribution within the past 36 months, he or she qualifies to receive a monthly pension for the rest of their life, so it doesn’t matter the job you are doing actually, you must join the scheme,” he explained.