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Former Minister of Manpower, Youth and Employment under the erstwhile Kufuor administration, Nana Akomea says the Trades Union Congress (TUC) is justified in its demands for an increase in the minimum wage. According to him, given the deteriorating economic conditions in the country, the current wages and salaries are not enough for workers to make ends meet. With just days to the May Day celebrations, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has issued a four-day ultimatum to government to increase salaries or faced its wrath. General Secretary of the TUC, Kofi Asamoah at a symposium in Tema, as part of pre-May Day activities said �we cannot afford this high cost of living with the current wages and salaries�. But government has expressed shock at the conduct of the TUC insisting that negotiations about a new minimum wage are ongoing with the tripartite committee. Speaking on Asempa FM�s Ekosii Sen programme on Monday, Nana Akomea said government has failed Ghanaian workers. �TUC�s ultimatum to government is a vote of no confidence in the Mahama-led administration because they don�t believe government is serious,� he added. Nana Akomea noted that, as the then sector Minister, negotiations for an increment on minimum wage was concluded in February to prevent any agitation from the labour unions. The former Okaikoi South Member of Parliament blamed �government inefficiency� for the unbridled hardships in the country. He intimated that corruption and poverty under the Mahama-led administration are now the acronym of the Better Ghana Agenda promise. Nana Akomea stressed that �government has failed to think outside the box; all it cares about is to create, loot and share at the expense of the ordinary Ghanaian�. In a quick rebuttal, Deputy Information Minister, Felix Kwakye Ofosu described Nana Akomea�s assertions as �opportunistic intervention�. He explained that, Nana Akomea as a member of the opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) wants to paint a �doom and gloomy picture� of the economy for political expediency. The Deputy Information Minister maintained that, as a social democratic party, the TUC is �our natural ally� therefore government is working assiduously to meet their demands. Conceding that cost of living in the country is high; Kwakye Ofosu said measures are being put in place to resuscitate the economy.