The government is taking steps to ameliorate some of the hardships facing workers following the recent adjustment in fuel prices. As a first step more buses are to be imported by the government to improve public transportation to reduce the burden on the public. Additionally, the government has directed the early payment of workers' salaries for January, 2012 and the clearance of all salary arrears of workers by June, this year. The Vice-President, Mr John Dramani Mahama, announced this at a meeting on Friday between the government Economic Management Team and stakeholders to discuss the current economic situation in the country, especially the recent fuel price increases. According to a statement issued in Accra on Saturday and signed by Mr Baba Jamal, a Deputy Minister of Information, the Vice President assured the public that the government had put in place a mechanism to ensure that further increases in the world prices of crude oil would not affect fuel prices locally. The meeting was attended by stakeholders including the Association of Ghana Industries (AGI), Ghana Employers' Association (GEA), The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana Bankers Association and Ghana Chamber of Commerce. The statement said the meeting, which was frank and fruitful, discussed the effects of the recent fuel price increase and the reasons which occasioned such a hike. The statement said while sympathising with the government on the current increases in the world price of fuel and the huge sums the government used in subsidising the product, the meeting encouraged the government to do more in cushioning workers against the economic situation in the country.