The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has called on government to publish all the oil and gas contracts signed so that Ghanaians can see for themselves what has been negotiated on their behalf. The TUC has also said the government should disclose fully all the policy options and proposals it is considering for people to make informed contributions. A statement signed by the Secretary General of the TUC, Kofi Asamoah, on the union's position on the national economic situation, also asked that the Right to Information Bill that has been introduced in parliament should be widely publicised and circulated to afford Ghanaians the opportunity to discuss and debate the contents, and make proposals before it is passed into law. "We respectfully appeal to Parliament not to rush and pass the Bill into law before citizens have adequate opportunity to deliberate on its contents," he said. He said even though Ghanaians continued to hear regular assurances from government and its officials that the oil revenue would not be squandered but managed to the benefit of all the people, "the TUC is of the view that, not enough transparency and consultation have characterised the process so far." He said the proposed utility tariff increases would lead to a further rise in cost of living and put a strain on the Ghanaian. Mr. Asamoah said even though statistical data suggested a fall in the rate of inflation, it did not mean that the cost of living had not been rising. "While the government may have inherited some challenges, the steering committee is of the view that the test of successful leadership is the ability to address, effectively, such challenges," he said. Mr. Asamoah said the TUC had also noted with concern, the astronomical increases in road tolls in a single stroke of over 900 per cent. He said the argument that the road tolls had remained unchanged for a long time and that the adjustments were necessary to make up for lost revenue was untenable. "Whose fault is it that the tolls remained unchanged for that number of years?" he asked, adding that, it was an institutional and systemic failure on the part of government and its agencies. Source: The Ghanaian Times