| National organization(s) | UGTG,CNTG,ONSLG,USTG |
|---|---|
| International Labour Organization | |
| Guinea is a member of the ILO | |
| Convention ratification | |
| Freedom of Association | 21 January 1959 |
| Right to Organise | 26 March 1959 |
Trade unions inGuinea were historically important - having played a pivotal role in the country's independence movement - and in recent years have again assumed a leading role.
In 1945,Sekou Toure (later Guinea's first president) founded the first union in Guinea, organizing postal (PTT) workers, and then in 1946, the Territorial Union of Guinean Trade Unions (Union Territoriale des Syndicats de Guinée, UTSG).[1]
Sekou Touré and Seydou Diallo (also of Guinea) were among the leaders in the creation of the French West AfricanConfédération générale des travailleurs africains ('General Confederation of African Workers', CGTA) separate from the French union,Confédération Générale du Travail (CGT) in 1955-6.[2][3]
Trade unions were outlawed in 1961, following a teachers' strike, and legalized again in the 1990s.[4]
In 2006, the unions (together) successfully organized strikes inConakry, and in early 2007 led nationwide strikes that provoked a harsh government crackdown which resulted in over 100 fatalities.
In October 2009, following shooting and other violence against apolitical rally in Conakry, the unions organized a successful two-day strike.
