By Bayla Sow, ITF Ecowas and Francophone countries’ representative
Our comrades from the Federation Syndicale Professionnelle Nationale des Transports et Mécanique Générale (FSPNTMG – CNTG) held a strike on Monday 7 April 2014, which was widely followed (minibus, taxis, motorbikes, tanker drivers) throughout the country.
To respond to the wide-scale mobilisation the Government of the Republic of Guinea-Conakry represented by the Minister of Justice, the Minister of Territorial Administration and his spokeperson opened negotiations with the Confederal Board of the Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs de Guinée (CNTG) on the main concerns raised by the ITF affiliate. At the end of the negotiations, which ended with the release of a six-point joint statement, our affiliate agreed to suspend their call for strike action.
In the joint statement, the government of Guinea Conakry agreed to:
- provisionally release the arrested trade unionists
- organise elections for union representation
- identify authorised conventional roadblocks
- remind prefectures and communal authorities of the principle of non-interference by administrative and government authorities in trade union activities.
- deploying mobile patrol brigades to deal with the problem of road cutters.
- ensure the systematic registration of tanker drivers with the CNSS (National Social Security Fund).
We would like to congratulate our comrades from the FSPNTMG-CNGT for these significant achievements.
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