The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has strongly condemned the recent increases in electricity and water tariffs, accusing the government of undermining labour negotiations concluded just weeks earlier on the 2026 minimum wage and base pay.
Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News on Thursday, December 4, TUC Secretary General Joshua Ansah said the tariff adjustments, 9% for electricity and more than 15% for water, effectively erase the newly agreed 9% wage increase for workers.
Mr Ansah argued that the timing of the hikes demonstrates “bad faith,” noting that the Tripartite Committee, made up of government, organised labour and employers, had only recently finalised the wage agreement for the next fiscal year.
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He criticised the government for imposing a utility burden that exceeds the value of the wage increase:
“Just after 2-3 weeks, the government decides to slap us with an increase of 9% in the electricity and 15% plus in the water.”
Mr Ansah said the combined tariff increase amounts to roughly 24%, leaving workers with what he described as a “negative 15%” real income once the new utility costs are deducted from their salary adjustments.
“Because you cannot give us 9% and also come back with the tariff of 9% and 15%, which is about 24%. This means that you are giving, taking your 9% and also giving us a negative 15%,” he stated.
TUC demands full withdrawal or immediate renegotiation
The union insists that the government must completely reverse the tariff increases, describing a partial salary top-up as insufficient and unacceptable.
“As for the two options that we stated in our statement, we want to consider the complete withdrawal of the tariff increases. We are not even interested in the top up of the salary,” Mr Ansah said.
If the government refuses to back down, the TUC says the only alternative is to reopen negotiations on the minimum wage and base pay to offset the new cost-of-living burden.
“But if the government thinks that it cannot withdraw, then there’s a need for the government to renegotiate the 9%. Because you cannot give somebody 9 cedis and ask them to go and pay 24 cedis,” he added.
The renewed tension between labour and the government underscores the financial strain on households, with inflation and rising utility costs continuing to squeeze workers’ purchasing power and prompting demands for immediate corrective action.
