Wa, June 8, GNA - Mr. Godfrey Tuu, the Upper West Regional Secretary of Civil Servants Association, on Monday appealed to the government to consider increasing salaries of civil servants with dispatch to enable them meet the high cost of living as a result of the 30 percent increase in fuel prices.

"Already, salaries of civil servants are not anything to write home about and for the government to increase the price of fuel without corresponding increase in salaries will have serious repercussions on us".

Mr. Tuu told the GNA in an interview that civil servants had started suffering the rippling effects of the increase as most of them had to pay higher fares to and from their offices. He also appealed to the government to factor in all the hardships that the increase was likely to create before topping up salaries to make workers have some financial comfort. "We are surprised that the government has decided to slap such an increment on Ghanaians when negotiations on salaries are on-going. Now that they have increased fuel prices before new salaries, we only hope that they will take all the rippling effects of the increase before coming out with a new salary structure." At two LP Gas filling stations, some customers said although the increase was too high, the product was comparatively cheaper than charcoal.

Passengers who spoke to the GNA at the Wa main lorry park were disappointed at the fuel increase and that it would impoverish the ordinary people as they would have to pay more for goods and services. Mr. Munawara Issahaque described the increase as painful but necessary and appealed to the government to religiously adhere to the promise of using money that would have been used in subsidizing the fuel products into other development projects. Mr. Nuhu Mahama, Industrial Relations Officer of the Upper West Regional secretariat of Ghana Private Road Transport Union, told the