Vice Chair of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Ken Tweneboa Kodua, has taken strong exception to the Public Utilities Regulatory Commission’s (PURC) decision to announce new electricity and water tariffs without concluding discussions with organised labour.

Speaking on Citi FM on Monday, December 8, Dr Kodua said the move disregarded the ongoing consultation process, which he said was aimed at reaching a tariff structure that workers could understand and accept.

According to him, the sudden announcement raises serious concerns about PURC’s commitment to fairness and transparent engagement.

He noted that the TUC had been collaborating with the Commission to develop a realistic tariff proposal, only for the process to be abruptly abandoned.

Such actions, he warned, risk damaging the trust required for effective cooperation between the parties.

“The procedure was not fully followed. We were working together to design a fair and realistic tariff that we could defend to our members. That process was cut short, and then the new tariffs were announced,” Dr Kodua said.

He added that PURC must explain why it chose to bypass the consultative path it initiated. “That decision was not respectful and does not reflect fairness in our partnership.

PURC started the engagement with TUC, so why they halted the process and went ahead with the announcement needs to be addressed,” he stressed.