Ghanaian workers declare demonstration over utility, fuel price hikes

Workers' groups in Ghana on Friday declared nationwide demonstrations to protest against steep increases in utility tariffs and fule price rises emanating from an energy sector levies law.

The declaration follows the announcement of a 59.2 percent rise in electricity tariff across board and 67.2 percent increase in water by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission as well as the18-27 percent upward review in the prices of petroleum products.

The one-day demonstration will take place on Jan.20 across the country.

The actions are intended principally to get the government to reduce the utility tariffs and withdraw the "killer" energy sector levies law, according to Kofi Asamoah, Secretary-General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC).

The announcement comes after a series of meetings between organized labor and the government in an attempt to have amicable settlements which have ended inconclusively.

Asamoah said organized labor was left with no other option than to proceed with its planned nationwide actions to express its outrage with the avalanche of insensitive increases in taxes, levies and utility tariffs at this time of the year when workers and the average Ghanaian was at their most difficult economic ebb.

"With our mandate to defend working people, the weak and vulnerable in our society, we have no option other than to take our concerns to the streets as a first step hoping that the government will listen," he told the press.

He called on Ghanaians to join the protest, especially those who believe that they should not allow politicians, whether in parliament or the executive, to take them for granted and to impose all sorts of levies, taxes and fees and prices on them without recourse to the citizens' plight and economic circumstances. Enditem