The Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU) has marked its 82nd anniversary with a call on members to embrace disciplined savings, investment and collective financial planning to secure their financial future beyond active employment.
The anniversary, held under the theme: ‘Securing Our Future Together,’ was marked with activities across the union’s 10 administrative regions, including patient clinics, welfare seminars, clean-up exercises and health screening programmes.
Speaking at the climax of the celebrations in Accra, the General Secretary of HSWU, Dr Owusu Ansah, said the 82-year milestone was not merely a celebration of longevity but a testament to years of sacrifice, resilience, solidarity and commitment to the welfare and dignity of health workers.
He said the union’s history was inseparable from the broader struggle of the Ghanaian worker, noting that successive generations of members had endured difficult working conditions, inadequate welfare arrangements and limited social protection to build the organisation into what it was today.
Dr Ansah urged members to use the anniversary to reflect on measures they could take to improve their lives and those of future generations of HSWU workers.
He said the introduction of the HSWU Tier 3 Fund represented a major shift in the union’s welfare philosophy, from responding mainly to immediate needs to building long-term financial security and sustainable wealth.
He encouraged members to view contributions to the fund not as an additional deduction from their salaries but as an investment in themselves, their families and their future.
“It is time to move from a culture of reactive welfare to a culture of financial security and sustainable wealth creation,” he added.
Dr Ansah said while individual workers might struggle to accumulate substantial wealth, the collective strength of thousands of union members could create significant economic opportunities through disciplined savings and investment.
He urged members to take ownership of the fund by seeking information, participating in educational programmes, understanding its benefits and gradually increasing their contributions. He also stressed the need for transparency, accountability and sound governance.
The immediate past Chairperson of the Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme, Dr Derrick Amoateng, also urged health workers to take retirement planning seriously.
Dr Amoateng, a Gynaecologist and Obstetrician, described voluntary retirement savings as income deliberately transferred from workers’ younger selves to their future selves.
He encouraged workers to understand Ghana’s three-tier pension system, regularly check their contributions and strengthen voluntary savings.
He further called for stronger collaboration among government, regulators, employers, trustees, fund managers, organised labour and workers to improve pension adequacy and retirement security.
Dr Amoateng urged members to remember three key messages: “Save more, know more and stand together,” saying the solidarity that had sustained HSWU for 82 years could also secure the financial future and retirement dignity of its members.
BY HILDA NSAMI
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