The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has sharply criticised the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission (PURC) over new increases in electricity and water tariffs, describing the decision as harsh, insensitive and a direct blow to Ghanaian workers who are already struggling under rising living costs.
The PURC announced that electricity tariffs will go up by 9.86% and water tariffs by 15.92%, effective January 1, 2026. The increases come into force on the same day the government’s 9% minimum wage and base pay adjustment takes effect, a move the TUC says completely undermines the wage gains.
In a strongly worded statement signed by Secretary-General Joshua Ansah, the TUC accused the government of burdening workers at a time when they can least afford it. The union said the timing of the tariff hikes “can only be described as the Government’s New Year’s gift to Ghanaians,” noting that the increases will immediately wipe out the value of the 2026 pay rise.
The statement further criticised the decision as unfair and insensitive, arguing that workers deserved relief, not additional pressure. “This increment has completely eroded the 9% wage adjustment for 2026. Clearly, the Government is demonstrating its insensitivity to the daily struggles of workers and Ghanaians,” the TUC said.
The union also accused the government of exacerbating the situation by simply reallocating funds between sectors. “What Government has done is worse than robbing ‘Peter to pay Paul’,” the statement added, warning that workers feel betrayed by a decision that “has robbed the poor Ghanaian worker of the 9% wage increase it had agreed to implement on January 1, 2026.”
The TUC is demanding that the government return to the negotiation table to revise the 2026 wage increase upward to cushion workers from the effects of the utility price adjustments. According to the union, “Workers cannot accept these increases unless government comes back to the negotiating table to top up the wage increase for 2026.”
Failure to do so, it warns, will lead to nationwide mobilisation by organised labour. “The TUC will mobilise workers to resist the implementation of these insensitive increases in utility prices,” the union stated.
The TUC has also announced a press conference scheduled for Monday, December 8, where it plans to outline its full response and additional measures to push back against what it calls an “obnoxious” tariff hike.
While the PURC argues that the adjustments are necessary to sustain utility operations and reflect economic realities, including exchange rate losses, and investment requirements, critics contend that the timing will exacerbate the financial burden on households and businesses already struggling with rising costs.
