TUC issues 10-day ultimatum for utility tariffs cut or…

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has issued a 10-day ultimatum to the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) and the government to cut utility tariffs by a third or face a nationwide strike.

The TUC at a press conference Tuesday accused the PURC of failing to implement a systematic tariff increases agreed three years ago only to heap up substantial tariff increases on workers recently.

The TUC has said the increases; 78.9 percent in electricity tariffs  and 52 per cent increase in water, were too high and beyond the pocket of the ordinary Ghanaians.

Secretary General of the TUC Kofi Asamoah who addressed the news conference at the GNAT Hall said the Union was not opposed to utility tariffs increase, however the level of increment was simply unacceptable.

According to him, the prevailing economic conditions were so harsh that citizens' standards of living would be worsened should the government maintain the new tariffs.

“We have made it clear to the government that the prevailing income levels in the country do not allow us to pay such exorbitant increases; we simply cannot afford to pay.”

“Obviously the PURC and government have failed to heed our request to stay the implementation of the increases and to open genuine dialogue on the entire energy and water sectors.

“We are therefore left with very little choice to implement our own roadmap for getting the tariffs down to levels that are consistent with the income of Ghanaians.”

Graphic.com.gh/Ghana