Accra workers want 68 per cent wage rise

The Accra District Council of Labour (ADCL) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday said that its members would not accept anything less than the 68 per cent increase in minimum wage as proposed by the TUC.

The decision was after a general meeting of ADCL, which was chaired by Harry Pieterson, Accra Regional Secretary of the TUC, to deliberate on the proposed pay increase, in Accra. The meeting of the council, made up of 17 national unions, said ''if after today (Thursday) nothing concrete is heard about our demand we would advise ourselves.''

The council said the hike in petroleum prices had put a burden on workers and they would not accept ''even a one per cent reduction'' in the minimum wage the TUC had proposed.

It said initially the council wanted to demand 100 per cent increase but reverted to the 68 per cent following the intervention of Herbert Aquandah, Head of Organisation of the TUC. ''Mr Aquandah cautioned that care should be taken not to derail the economy by excessive demand,” they said.