Guinea: trade union leaders targets of armed attacks and intimidation

Guinea is the scene of a serious deterioration in the relations between the authorities and the trade union movement.

Leaders of the Confédération nationale des travailleurs de la Guinée (CNTG) have been the targets of repeated armed attacks and acts of intimidation over recent months. The ITUC firmly condemns this state of affairs.

The situation has seriously deteriorated since October 2011. The CNTG general secretary, Amadou Diallo, the assistant general secretaries, Mamadou Mansaré and Kader Aziz Camara, and other leaders have been the victims of threats, armed attacks and intimidation. The governor of Conakry has, in addition, ordered the closure of the CNTG offices. The labour court has been repeatedly denounced for its interference in the CNTG’s internal affairs, and lastly, on 27 March, the two deputy general secretaries, Kader Aziz Camara and Mamadou Mansaré, were called in by the police.

"We are fully behind the Guinean trade union movement," said ITUC General Secretary Sharan Burrow. "It is impossible for its leaders to fulfil their legitimate role of defending workers’ rights amid this climate of intimidation and fear for their safety and physical integrity."

These attacks, threats and acts of intimidation against trade unionists are clear violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining, which Guinea has ratified. In a letter to the Guinean authorities, the ITUC urged Prime Minister Mohamed Saïd Fofana to take immediate steps to remedy the situation and to ensure that trade unionists are able to exercise their legitimate role and fundamental rights under conditions worthy of a democracy.

For any further information, please contact the ITUC Press Department on: +32 2 224 0204 or +32 476 621 018

Photo: martapigs