Businesses at standstill as workers begin nationwide strike in Guinea

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Businesses were paralyzed in Guinea's capital Conakry on Monday as workers began a nationwide strike, demanding higher wages and lower food prices, local media reported.

The Guinean Trade Union Movement announced the indefinite general strike last week involving the public, private, and informal sectors.

Their demands include higher wages, the release of trade unionist Sekou Jamal Pendessa, and a cut in food prices.

Pendessa was arrested in January for “participating in an unauthorized protest.”

“On the first day of the strike, it looks like a public holiday in the country’s Kaloum administrative district with all activities at a standstill. The transport network is disrupted and the streets are almost empty,” news site Africaguinee reported.

Shops and banks in the West African country remained closed with “security personnel deployed in front of each government ministry.”

The strike comes days after Gen. Mamady Doumbouya, who took power in a September 2021 coup, dissolved the transitional government.