According to the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) government must save local industries from folding-up by relieving them from high tariff imposition. General Secretary of the Union, Mr Solomon Kotey,says high tariffs, would soar the expenditure and overhead expenses of local industries, which would lead to redundancies, unemployment, impoverishment and associated untold hardships to employees who by no fault of theirs had been sacked. Speaking with the GNA on Thursday July 18, Mr Kotei therefore called on government to be more sensitive to issues that could affect the development of local industries and businesses. As a result of tax hikes, local industries are virtually grinding to a halt and resorting to redundancy, said Mr Kotey. According to him instead of employing permanent workers, most local industries have engaged the services of casual workers in an attempt to slash down on their salary expenditure. Mr Kotey said for that reason it was difficult for ICU, which is an affiliate of the Trades Union Congress, to negotiate for better conditions of service for members of the Union. He also stated that currently local businesses’ products were finding it difficult to compete with foreign goods being dumped into the country. Mr Kotey also called on providers of utility services to explain to Ghanaians the circumstances that led to the intermittent power outages and water rationing saying that if government subsidies were not forthcoming or being withdrawn, the citizens must be told.