Dr. Rashid Pelpuo, Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, has emphasized the need for retirees to step aside and allow younger workers to take over, unless their roles are exceptionally critical and require specialized skills.
In an interview on JoyNews’ AM Show monitored by Kumasimail.com, Dr. Pelpuo explained that while most jobs do not necessitate contract extensions, positions requiring unique expertise might justify retention on a contract basis.
He emphasized“The kind of jobs people do are not so sophisticated that they require a contract. However, if a job is sophisticated to the extent that this single person is the only one who has the capacity, the skill, and the knowledge, then there is a high possibility that he will be retained on contract to complete the job they are doing.”
“For example, if we had a nuclear entity here, such as a nuclear station, and you train someone to manage the nuclear installations, and he knows the job so well that if you were to take him away, it would be difficult for someone else to occupy that space, so you would keep him, but according to the law”, he stated.
However, he stressed that such decisions must be justified and approved by the President.
Dr. Pelpuo disclosed “The practice is that if you want to retain someone, you have to appeal to the President. But, you will find that people within the same Ministry, the Chief Director, will write and say we are retaining him, and then the next moment he is taking a large salary.”
Dr. Pelpuo highlighted past practices where older employees often stayed in key positions well beyond retirement age, blocking opportunities for their younger colleagues.
“In the last administration, you saw that many of them occupied high positions while people below them were retiring, but they didn’t have the opportunity to take over. For example, your deputy reached the age of 60 and retired, while you reached the age of 62 and were given the chance to stay on for another two years, so he didn’t have the opportunity to step in”, he explained.
“The younger person who is waiting for you to retire might leave, and another vacancy will exist somewhere, still waiting to be filled”.
Dr. Pelpuo’s revealed that the gov’t call is not just about retirement policies; it’s about building a workforce that is dynamic, inclusive, and ready for the challenges of the future.
“we want to give everyone a chance until there is a critical need for you to stay on. We simply want to say, ‘Leave and let someone else come in,’ so we can have more younger people entering the system.”
Source : www.kumasimail.com /Kwadwo Owusu
