Mahama lied about ECG subsidies - PUWU

The Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) has debunked assertions by President John Mahama that there is no subsidy on electricity tariffs.

The Electricity Company of Ghana earlier this week announced a revised tariff system which included subsidies for some categories of consumers.

The President in his address to some Muslims to climax the Eid ul-Fitr celebrations on Wednesday stated that government has not provided subsidies on electricity and described the latest intervention as a realignment of the billing system.

But the Public Utility Workers Union disagrees with the president. Michael Nyantekyi, Deputy General Secretary of the Union told the host of Morning Starr Nii Arday Clegg that until there is an official communication, workers of ECG will go by the directive of the Electricity distributor.

“Until there is an official communication to the contrary, we are going by the statement ECG put out and that statement was prepared in consultation with both the PURC and the ministry of power unless they [government] come out to say something different negating what ECG put out.

“An official statement from ECG had come out and if the government wants us to get any different position, contrary to what ECG has put out then we need to see an official statement, we will not take the oral pronouncement on this,” Mr. Nyantekyi said.

Meanwhile, Member of the Finance Committee of Parliament Kwaku Kwarteng has accused the government of backtracking on the reintroduction of subsidies because it violates the IMF conditionality.

“We must push the president to explain what exactly he means by re-alignment. How will re-alignment bring relief?, re-alignment of what, it is all a con and it coming from a government that is confused, a government that is determined to say anything as they approach elections and unfortunately they are in a program with the IMF and if they push ahead with this 300 million, they have to answer to their masters.”