TUC Condemns Utility, Fuel Price Increment

The General Council of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has warned government that it will resist unreasonable increment in utility and fuel prices in the country.

According to the Union, any further increases would exacerbate the plight of working people and ordinary Ghanaians who cannot continue to absorb them.

The Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) has reviewed electricity and water tariffs with an increase of 51.73 percent for electricity and 15 percent for water for the third quarter of 2015 effective 1^st July 2015.

Prices of petroleum products were recently increased by 15 percent.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) also announced a nine percent increase in the prices of petroleum products earlier this year.

Kofi Asamoah, General Secretary of TUC, in a statement, noted that the increase in utility and fuel prices were part of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme, adding that IMF had directed government to totally remove subsidies on utilities and petroleum products.

'We find it extremely difficult to understand why government would even contemplate further removal of subsidies and deregulation of fuel and utility pricing in the midst of such economic and social crises, he stated.

'It is unacceptable for government to deregulate fuel and utility pricing. We will continue to resist unreasonable increases in utility and fuel prices and other such policies and measures that undermine our efforts to improve the living standards of the working people of Ghana and their families.'

Wages
Mr. Asamoah said the Union would not accept any reduction in real wages.

The IMF called for a 'front-loaded fiscal consolidation,' including a reduction in real wages.

'We would like to reiterate our position that the TUC will not accept any reduction in real wages.

Given the overall economic hardship prevailing in the country, the TUC Council finds it unacceptable that government would agree to reduce real wages despite the sacrifices public sector workers are making, he indicated.

By Cephas Larbi
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