TUC to protest new utility tariffs

The Trades Union Congress will be meeting its constituents to formally protest the hikes in utility tariffs.

Electricity tariffs have been increased by 78.9 percent whilst water tariffs have also be increased by 52 percent.

However the TUC Secretary General Kofi Asamoah said workers cannot pay the new tariffs. He told XYZ Business that the tariffs do not commensurate with the increase in public sector pay and the petroleum price hikes.

“These increases have come at a time when government could only afford to increase public sector wages by 10%. We are also in a period that all other wages, water and light, gas have been pushed up, well beyond the pocket of the average Ghanaian”, he said.

The PURC says the new tariffs which take effect from October 1, will assist the utility service providers to undertake critical investment for reliable water and electricity supply.

But Mr. Asamoah says “We are not against utility tariff increase but we are very shocked by the percentage, so we will definitely get to our structures and discuss what to do