The Ghana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) has appealed to the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) to consider the plight of the ordinary citizen as it embarked on the process for the review of tariffs.
Deputy Secretary General, of GTUC, Mr Joshua Ansah expressed concern that the intended review upward is going to be a big burden on workers.
Salary of workers saw a paltry increase of 10 percent in 2018 which took effect from this month, any astronomic adjustment upwards of tariff would erode the marginal salary increment, he stressed
“Any exorbitant increment will worsen the situation of employees in this country on the other hand we are not saying they should not increase but considering the plight also of the utility providers, we want marginal increment,” Mr Ansah said.
The Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) has proposed 23 pesewas upward tariff adjustment per kilowatt hour (23p/KWh); and Ghana Grid Company Limited (GRIDCo) 4.897 pesewas per kilowatt hour (4.897p/KWh).
Others are Northern Electricity Distribution Company (NEDCo) which is demanding 43 pesewas per kilowatt hour (43p/KWh); and Enclave Power Company Limited (EPC) proposing 26 pesewas per kilowatt hour (26p/KWh) for the 2019 Utility Tariff Review.
Meanwhile the Public Utility Regulatory Commission (PURC) has assured the public that it would strike a fair balance between utility service providers and utility consumers in determining new utility tariffs.
Mr Ishmael Agyekumhene, the Chairman of the PURC Technical Committee, said this at a public hearing in respect of the 2019 Major Tariff Review for Electricity and Water organised by the Commission in Accra.
He noted the Commission would consider a number of factors before agreeing to an upward tariff adjustment or otherwise.
Mr Agyekumhene, who presided over the meeting, said the PURC would go into caucus meeting to consider the tariff adjustment proposals made by the utility service providers and chart the way forward.
