Accra, (Greater Accra) 29 Oct.,

A senior trade unionist today suggested that the minimum wage should be determined before the advent of any fiscal year budget. What the Tripartite Committee would determine should therefore become an input for the preparation of national budgets, Mr. Stephen Yarnney, general secretary of the Public Utility Services Workers Union, said in an interview with the Ghana News Agency in Accra today. He said the present method whereby wage increases are determined after the release of budget does not augur well for the working class and above all puts government at a disadvantage. Mr. Yarnney explained that government has to look elsewhere for money, which might take a long time, while workers have to grapple with increases in prices as dictated by the budget. Mr. Yarney said since privatisation goes with profit-making, workers must be paid well "to accommodate high tariffs". Meanwhile, Mr. Jerry Addo and Mr. Brima Salifu, deputy general secretary and second national trustee of the union, will join a government delegation to visit some West African countries. The delegation will study how privatization of utility services have been carried out in those countries.. The delegation leaves on Saturday, November first, and returns on Sunday, November 16.