Bakers threaten strike action to force down price of flour

Kumasi, April 17, GNA - Bakers have threatened to embark on a strike action if the country's flourmills did not review the hike in the price of flour by the end of this month.

"We would employ every means to ensure that bread and other flour products are completely out of the market at the expiry of the deadline," the bakers threatened.

Addressing a crisis meeting of the Flour Users Association at which the decision was taken in Kumasi at the weekend, Mrs Comfort Akotuah, President, said the Association found it totally unacceptable that within a period of less than four months, the price of flour should go up three times.

The mills first increased the price of a bag of flour from 185,000 cedis to 215,000 cedis last January.

It was later raised to 225,000 cedis and just last week it went up to 240,000 cedis.

Mrs Akotuah said; "The insensitivity of the companies was pushing the price of bread beyond the pockets of consumers." Besides, our businesses are collapsing as many of us have been operating at a loss and we certainly can no longer bear with the situation".

The President appealed to the government to act more decisively to stop any group or groups of persons from taking undue advantage of the country's trade liberalisation to cheat and bring untold hardships to the people.