The Progressive Peoples Party(PPP), says the Trade Unions Congress(TUC), has become irrelevant to the extent that it is no more able to fight for the ordinary Ghanaian.
National Youth organizer of the party, Devine Nkrumah told Accra based MONTIE FM on Thursday that the TUC has over the years become a toothless bulldog and abandoned its core mandate of championing the cause of the low income earner.
His comment is in response to the TUC’s 10-day ultimatum for the Public Utilities Regulatory Authority(PURC) and government to 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.
It 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 said the Union was not opposed to utility tariffs increase, however the level of increment was simply unacceptable.
But the PPP youth organizer thinks it has taken the TUC too long a time to address such issues. He is of the view the TUC has lost its relevance because the TUC has for some time now refused to execute its work of making governments accountable.
He is asking what proposals they presented to government on the tariff increases before issuing the ultimatum.
‘’I am even surprised that the TUC has suddenly found its voice to comment on tariff increases. I want to know the mechanism the TUC put in place before coming out with the 10-day warning. Am aware that before government comes out with such policies, they consult labour groups like the TUC, so we want to know what they told government ‘’.
Mr. Nkrumah however indicated that if the concerns raised by the TUC are genuine, the PPP will fully support it.
