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Mariama pictured with the women's delegation from Guinea





Farouk Shehata, Egypt

In an address to the UNI Africa Executive Committee meeting in Cairo, Egypt 9 – 11 March, UNI General Secretary Philip Jennings praised Guinea’s recent return to civilian rule as a new beginning for the country and Africa as a whole.

Guinea was under the military rule for over a year but returned to civilian rule in December 2009 with the appointment a prime minister who is in charge of a transitional government. This came after international condemnation of the massacre of over 150 people who were protesting army rule.

Jennings praised the labour movement in Guinea in general, and the deputy general secretary of the banking union of Guinea Ms Mariama Penda Diallo in particular, for their relentless fight for democratic governance.

Mariama, who is also the Vice President of the Finance Sector in UNI Africa, is now Labour Minister in Guinea’s six-month transitional government. General elections are due to be held in six months time.

“I remember a heart-broken Mariama addressing the UNI World Executive Board on a cold winter day in Switzerland when she made a presentation on the situation in her country. Today Mariama is Minister of Labour and together with the Guinean people, they are leading the way for constitutional reforms. It is UNI’s campaign that every trade unionist in the world is free from fear,” said Jennings.

Farouk Shehata from the Egyptian Banking union NTUBIFA hoped that Mariama “will be a support for Guinean workers.”

UNI had sent a petition to the United Nations Human Rights Commission after the massacre of over 150 opposition supporters and rape of women who were protesting the military takeover and calling for a return to civilian rule.