The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has expressed outrage over the recent upward adjustment of utility tariffs by the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC).
On Tuesday, December 2, the PURC announced an upward adjustment of 9.86 percent for electricity and 15.92 percent for water effective January, 2026.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, however, the TUC pointed out that such a “New Year’s gift” demonstrates government’s insensitivity to the daily struggles of workers.
“In 2025, the government granted a wage increase of 10% and increased electricity tariffs cumulatively by more than 18%,” TUC statement signed by Secretary General Joshua Ansah noted.
“As workers bemoan the 9% wage increase for 2026 in the light of the prevailing cost of living, the least they expected was for the government to spring a surprise on them with increases in prices of utilities.
“This increment has completely eroded the 9% wage adjustment for 2026.”
It added: “What Government has done is worse than robbing ‘Peter to pay Paul’.
“In plain language, government has robbed the poor Ghanaian worker of the 9% wage increase it had agreed to implement on January 1, 2026.”
The mother workers’ union has served notice of holding a press conference on Monday, December 8 to outline measures it will take to address “this obnoxious tariff increase”.
“Workers cannot accept these increases unless government comes back to the negotiating table to top up the wage increase for 2026.
“Anything short of that, the TUC will mobilise workers to resist the implementation of these insensitive increases in utility prices.”