Koforidua, April 14, GNA - The Eastern Regional Council of Labour has denounced the recent petroleum price increases as having "severe negative impact" on the lives of workers in the country.

In a three-point resolution passed at a Council of Labour meeting at Koforidua on Wednesday, the Council, therefore, called on the government to, as a matter of urgency, review the increases.

The resolution, signed by the Council's chairman, Mr Samuel Mensah, called for the "outright elimination of the Social Impact Mitigation levy, reduction of the remaining tax/levy-related components on petroleum products, especially on kerosene, pre-mix fuel and Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG).

Earlier, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, who briefed the meeting on steps being taken by the Executive Committee of the Congress since the announcement of the fuel price increases, said the discussions were still ongoing with the government on the need for the reduction in the prices.

He said the Council was demanding the review in both the distributors margins, which ranged between 30 to 41 per cent of the fuel products and the Social Impact Mitigation Levy "if the government was sincere in its claim to reduce poverty in the system."

During an open forum, some of the workers called on the government to ensure early payment of salary increases to enable them meet the hardships imposed by the fuel increases. April 14, 05