TUC pleads with Kufuor over Guinea

The Trade Union Congress of Ghana (TUC) has urged President John Agyekum Kufuor, the African Union (AU) Chairman, to provide urgent active Pan-African intervention to the grave inhuman political situation in Guinea.

The TUC expressed concern about the general strike in Guinea and the political repression which has resulted in the killing of over 100 persons in the city of Conakry.

The strike action, which is the third in the history of Guinea, is believed to have occurred within a period of 12 months.

According to a statement signed by the General Secretary of the TUC, Mr. Kwasi Adu Amankwah, the crisis in Guinea has arisen from over 23 years of military dictatorship of which all the ingredients of social explosion has sparked up intense political tensions.

The TUC’s concerns stem from the fact that, Guinea shares a great historical and political bond in the Ghana-Guinea-Mali relations that blossomed during the early stages of Africa’s independence from colonial rule.

The TUC contended that the three general strikes in 12 months of Guinea’s political history demonstrate a strong resolve on the part of the workers and people of Guinea that cannot be ignored.

The statement noted that it is the considered view of the TUC that everything possible must be done by the rest of Africa to get Guinea out of its present political predicament in order for the country to take definite steps towards genuine democratic governance as the condition for the progress of Guinean people for their fuller integration into the African regional community.

The TUC reiterated that urgent attention should be given to crisis of this nature that could easily degenerate into full blown international conflict with violent proportions if it is not handled with tact and perseverance in genuine pursuit of the peace and unity of the African continent.

The TUC charged President Kufuor to intervene in the best traditions of African statesmanship to help resolve the political crisis in Guinea