General strikes in Guinea

After several weeks of a huge social and political crisis in January, a unity government was formed to solve the crisis. On 3 January, Justin Morel Junior, the Minister for Communication and New Information Technologies, was sacked by the President with no explanation given. Since last week demonstrations have been held in several of the country’s regions. The trade unions of Guinea called for unlimited general strikes starting on January 10th.

"The population is losing patience. The establishment of a transitional government in March 2007 had raised people’s hopes, however the changes awaited since then have been taking a long time to come, whilst living and working conditions have remained precarious. Justice also seems to be taking a long time to be done and the unions are critical of the dismissal for lack of evidence of the case against Mamadou Sylla, whose release sparked off a protest last year.

In a letter (FR - pdf) to the ECOWAS (Economic Community of West African States), the ITUC expressed its profound concern at the deteriorating socio-political situation in Guinea. The ECOWAS played an active role in the establishment of the transitional arrangements in Guinea and its support will be vital for guaranteeing peace, stability and democracy in this West African country."

Press release of ITUC (International Trade Union Confederation)

Communiqué de presse sur la Guinée de la Confédération Syndicale Internationale (en français)
Voir les articles sur ce blog sur la Guinée
Collectif Solidarité Guinée