The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has condemned the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) over its announcement of new utility tariff increases. According to the PURC, electricity tariffs will rise by 9.8% and water tariffs by 15.9%, effective January 1, 2026.
In a statement released, the TUC stated, “We are outraged by the statement from the PURC,” insisting that the timing of the increase is unacceptable, especially as the new 9% minimum wage adjustment is set to take effect on the same day.
The union argued that the increase effectively cancels out the wage adjustment. “This increment has completely eroded the 9% wage adjustment for 2026,” the statement declared, adding that government’s actions show “insensitivity to the daily struggles of workers and Ghanaians.”
The TUC further accused government of economic unfairness, saying, “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 Congress insisted that workers will not accept the tariff hikes unless government returns to negotiations to adjust wages upward. “Workers cannot accept these increases unless government comes back to the negotiating table,” it said.
The TUC also warned of mass resistance if government fails to act. “Anything short of that, the TUC will mobilise workers to resist the implementation of these insensitive increases,” the statement added.
A press conference by TUC and Organised Labour is scheduled for Monday, 8 December 2025, where they will outline planned measures against what they describe as an “obnoxious tariff increase.”
