The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has expressed disappointment at the erratic power supply situation in the country, labelling it as a national shame that should be hurriedly resolved.
Mr Kofi Asamoah, the Secretary General, said the solution, however, did not lie with the intended privatisation of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), warning the consequences could be catastrophic.
He was addressing the 11thquadrennial delegates’ conference of the Public Utility Workers Union (PUWU) in Kumasi.
He said although the private sector could help, leaving the sector entirely to private sector operators would not be helpful given “our level of development”.
“The rising cost of electricity is one of the causes of the rising cost of living in Ghana today. One can imagine what the situation will be when the ECG is handed to the profit-motivated private sector.”
Mr Asamoah insisted that the sector requires bold and home-grown solutions.
He complained about what he said was the government’s persistent under-investment in the energy and water sectors, and indicated that it must change to bring efficiency and raise the quality of service delivery.
Mr Asamoah pointed out that, “Government has a primary responsibility to finance the investments critically needed to fix the problems of the sector”.
He said labour’s position was that the utility providers must continue to remain public assets.
The three-day conference was held under the theme ‘Efficient and reliable service delivery in the utility sector: the role of stakeholders’.
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