The Trades Union Congress has re-established its membership of the Board of the Public Utilities and Regulatory Commission.

Deputy Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, confirmed the move in an interview with Citi FM on Monday.

The Labour Union withdrew its membership of the Board of the PURC during agitations to have utility price hikes cut.

The Union described as unacceptable the 79 per cent increase in electricity  and 52 per cent hike in water tariffs and demanded that government should implement the increases in a graduated manner to miniise the impact on workers.

The government constituted a technical committee to look into the demands of the TUC and to make recommendations towards addressing their concerns. The committee submitted its report to the government after two weeks of deliberations but TUC was not impressed with the recommendations.

It threatened nationwide demonstrations and a one day sit down strike by all workers across the country if government failed to intervene to reduce the tariff increases.

The government consequently announced a 25 per cent reduction in electricity prices. In the midst of the agitations the Forum for Governance and Justice described the TUC's withdrawal from the Board of the regualtor as illegal and proceeded to court in a bid to annul the decision. The case is still pending in court.

Even before the case will be heard, the TUC says it has rescinded its decision to withdraw from the Board and has consequently returned.

Dr Baah explained the withdrawal was to push for certain conditions to be met by government and the PURC and once the workers' body had been met half-way, there was no need to continue with the boycott of the PURC.