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The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has strongly rejected the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) newly approved utility tariff adjustments, warning that workers will not accept the increases unless the government returns to the negotiation table to review the 9% wage increment for 2026.
In a statement signed by Secretary-General Joshua Ansah on Wednesday, December 3, the TUC described the 9.86% rise in electricity tariffs and the 15.92% hike in water tariffs set to take effect on January 1, 2026, as “insensitive” and out of touch with the economic hardships facing Ghanaian workers.
“Workers cannot accept these increases unless the government comes back to the negotiating table to top up the wage increase for 2026,” the statement read. “Anything short of that, the TUC will mobilise workers to resist the implementation of these insensitive increases in utility prices.”
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The union criticised the adjustments as a “New Year’s gift” from the government, lamenting that they come barely a week after the approval of a 9% increase in the national minimum wage and public sector base pay for 2026. According to the TUC, the new tariff hikes will effectively wipe out the already unpopular wage gain, worsening workers’ financial burdens.
The union argued that electricity tariffs had already increased by more than 18% in 2025 despite a 10% wage increment, making the new adjustments even more unacceptable. It said the decision reflects “government’s insensitivity” to the realities of rising living costs and dwindling purchasing power.
The TUC has announced plans to hold a press conference on Monday, December 8, to outline its next line of action in what it calls a fight against “obnoxious” utility increases.
The PURC on Tuesday, December 2, announced the new tariffs as part of its multi-year review for 2026–2030. The Commission said the adjustments are necessary to ensure adequate investments by utility providers, maintain system reliability, and protect long-term consumer interests.
Read the full statement here: TUC-STATEMENT-ON-THE-PURC-TARIFF-INCREAMENT
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