TDCL: Mahama Must Still Consider Downward Review Of Utility Tariffs

The Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) is appealing to President John Mahama to still consider a downward review of utility tariffs despite the findings of the tariff review committee. The committee presented its report to the President on Thursday warning that a 50% increment in the price of electricity is not sustainable. There were a series of agitations and demonstrations from some labour unions and civil society groups after the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) upwardly adjusted utility prices. The increments took effect on October 1, 2013. The President therefore set up a committee to review the utility prices and make appropriate recommendations for implementation to curb the labour unrest. But speaking to Citi News, spokesperson for the TDCL, Eleazor Borboryo said the group is not satisfied with the committee�s findings. �The technical committee is recommending that the tariffs cannot go below 60% but we still have our concerns because we are not saying that the tariffs should not be increased; we are saying that putting three years increases together and lumping it once on workers and Ghanaians in general is what we are complaining about,� he explained. According to him, if there had been an existing agreement between government and the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission (PURC) for an automatic adjustment of tariffs at the end of every year, the current labour agitations would have been averted. Mr. Borboryo therefore suggested that �government should take a second look at the committee�s recommendations because at the end of the day, it is the ordinary worker who is going to suffer.� �We want to appeal to government to impress upon the PURC to review its tariffs downwards,� he added.