Organised Labour will still go on with its demonstration despite last minute appeals by government to woo labour to reverse the decision billed for Tuesday January 19.
A nationwide demonstration has been scheduled Wednesday, January 20 while an industrial strike has also been planned subsequently over the hikes in utility tariffs and fuel prices.
Labour minister Haruna Iddrisu on behalf of government Monday appealed to the leadership of labour to reconsider the action, saying 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.
