Suspend utility tariff increment • TUC to govt

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on the government to suspend the recent tariff increase in utilities as announced by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).

It said the government and the PURC should, as a matter of priority, immediately engage as agreed to exhaust the consultative process.

Assurance

"The leadership of the TUC wishes to assure workers that it will resist any tariff increases that will erode the meagre nine per cent government wage adjustment unless the government comes back to the negotiating table to top up the 2026 wage adjustment.

"Why should workers pay for the new tariff increment that comes into effect on January 1, 2026, when their meagre nine per cent pay adjustment will be paid at the end of January.

This obviously borders on insensitivity," the Secretary-General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, said at a press conference in Accra yesterday, after a meeting of the Steering Committee of the union.

Deliberation

Mr Ansah said the Steering Committee of the TUC deliberated extensively on the tariff increment decision, including the processes followed by the PURC.

He said the committee's leadership was outraged by the decision to increase electricity and water tariffs by 9.8 per cent and 15.9 per cent, respectively.

Mr Ansah claimed that the PURC consultative process with the TUC for the major tariff review, which commenced at a meeting at the Alisa Hotel in Accra, was not concluded before the announcement of the tariff increase.

"The PURC had sent a message to engage the TUC over the tariffs on Monday, December 8, 2025, only for the commission to miraculously announce the tariff on December 2, 2025. This we find unacceptable," he said.

Responding to a question about whether the TUC had a representative on the PURC board, Mr Ansah acknowledged the fact but said that did not stop the union from speaking against a decision that was not in the interests of workers.  

“We think that whatever decision has been made, whether we have a representative there, we think that the decision is not good for workers and we have to speak against it,” he added.

Asked what their next line of action would be if the government did not heed their call for the suspension, Mr Ansah said, “when we get to the bridge, we will cross it”.

PURC

The PURC last Tuesday announced the approval of new tariffs, with electricity set to rise by 9.86 per cent, and water by 15.92 per cent across all customer categories.

The adjustment, which takes effect on January 1 next year, was approved after the completion of the major Multi-Year Tariff Review Order (MYTO) process for the 2026–2030 period.

A statement signed by the Executive Secretary of the PURC, Dr Shafic Suleman and issued in Accra last Tuesday evening, the commission explained that it considered utility investment needs, industrial competitiveness and overall consumer living conditions in undertaking the major review.

The exercise is distinct from the quarterly reviews, which focus solely on operational expenses (OPEX), beyond the control of utility service providers.