Cape Coast, July 29, GNA - The Central Regional branch of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) on Thursday embarked on a peaceful demonstration in Cape Coast to press home their grievances over the increase in utility tariffs.
They bore placards with inscriptions like "Our Industries are collapsing," "Water is life, utility tariffs are too high," "killer bills are not good," "Electricity and water consumers are crying," and "We shall loose our jobs".
Mr Kwame Oppong, Regional Coordinating Director, later received a resolution adopted on the issue for onward submission to President John Evans Atta Mills.
The three-point resolution, signed by the Regional Chairman Mr Ransford Opoku Ware, referred to the increases as "killer increases' adding that small and medium scale enterprises which vibrated economic activities would experience stagnation.
It said the few manufacturing industries in the region which employed thousands of workers would experience high unemployment rates which would have rippling effects on many families.
The resolution further stated that industries, as well as small and medium enterprises could not survive the current increases.
It said domestic consumers would also find it difficult to pay up.
Mr Ahmed Ali, Senior Industrial Relations Officer of the Union, told the Ghana News Agency that its efforts to have the government impress upon the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) to reverse the new tariffs to save the manufacturing industry from collapse had not been heeded.
He said the recent increases in utility tariffs had brought untold hardship to industries and their collapse was eminent.
He said the demonstration was to further remind the government that they stood by their decision for the immediate suspension of the tariffs.
