In a statement addressed to the Organisation of African Trade Union Unity(OATUU), the National Union of Workers of Guinea-Bissau (UNTG) has accused the ruling military junta of “serious violations of trade union rights” and of “persecution” targeting several union leaders since the coup d’état.

In its statement, the UNTG asserts that its headquarters remains confiscated and that activists have been intimidated, arbitrarily summoned, and prevented from carrying out their activities. The UNTG denounces “a climate of repression” that runs counter to the international conventions ratified by the country.

It calls on the international community — particularly international and regional trade union organizations and the ILO — to intervene to ensure the protection of trade unionists and to support an “urgent return to constitutional order.”

According to the UNTG, the defense of trade union freedoms is “essential to the political and social stability” of Guinea-Bissau.