The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has clarified that its threat to use all “legal action” to oppose the proposed private sector participation (PSP) in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) does not necessarily mean taking the government to court.

Deputy Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, says the union’s reference to legal action includes traditional industrial relations tools available to organised labour.

His comments come amid growing disagreement between the TUC and government over the proposed private sector participation in ECG, with the union maintaining that the arrangement amounts to privatisation and vowed to use legal action to block World Bank-backed ECG privatisation.

“But let me also explain, when we say that we use all legal avenues, in fact, these are the traditional tools that you can associate with the unions,” he explained.

According to him, such tools form part of the established industrial relations mechanisms available to organised labour.

He insisted that the TUC is not primarily seeking a courtroom confrontation with government but is prepared to use the legitimate mechanisms available to unions to advance its position on the proposed ECG PSP.

“The TUC is not in the business of going to court to force government to do something. It is our traditional industrial relations tools, which everybody knows of,” he added.