Organised Labour snubs govt's attempt to stay demo

Organised Labour on Monday rejected government’s last minute effort to dissuade them from demonstrating on Wednesday.

Unionized workers across the country are expected to embark on a demonstration over the hikes in utility tariffs and fuel prices.

The TUC has also threatened to strike if the nationwide demonstrations for the next two days do not compel government to suspend the hikes.

Labour minister Haruna Iddrisu on Monday appealed to the leadership of the workers to rethink the action since it will be unfair to demonstrate while negotiations are still under way.

“Embarking on such actions means holding a gun to my head while we are still talking,” he said. He insisted that government is willing to review utility tariffs but unwilling to remove the recently introduced Energy Sector Levy.

“The financial situation of the ECG and the VRA is unhealthy. The procurement of crude will not be possible if the institutions are not assured of consistent source of funding,” he said.

The workers, however, insist government must withdraw the new petroleum taxes in order to sustain the engagement with them