Workers at the Onomo Hotel in Conakry, represented by IUF affiliate FHTRC-ONSLG, submitted a photo petition on May 31 demanding the reinstatement of workers who were subcontracted in retaliation for requesting union elections last year. The subcontracted workers were prevented from voting in the January 2024 elections in which FHTRC-ONSLG won the majority of votes. In the petition, the workers demand that their colleagues be “reinstated with direct employment contracts according to the law, and that all Onomo employees be granted direct employment contracts.”
In a meeting with union delegates on May 31, the hotel’s General Manager refused to accept the petition claiming that “the union should represent workers who voted in the elections.” The union’s General Secretary, Adama Diabaté, responded that they “could not vote because [you] forced them to become subcontractors, and we represent all workers at the hotel.” In a further attempt at intimidation, the General Manager informed the union delegates that Onomo was considering closing the hotel permanently.
- Onomo Hotels is the beneficiary of over 90 million USD in development finance loans from the International Finance Corporation (IFC), British International Investment (BII) and Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft (DEG)
- The IUF has filed complaints against Onomo Hotels with both the IFC and BII over numerous violations of the freedom of association
- Despite Onomo’s refusal to return to compliance with BII’s labor safeguards, Guinean national law and international standards, BII has closed the IUF’s complaint; the IUF, together with FHTRC-ONSLG, will file additional international complaints in the coming weeks
FHTRC-ONSLG General Secretary Asmaou Bah Doukouré stated, “We will persist until all the Onomo workers are reinstated as direct employees. We can’t allow hotel companies, especially those receiving development financing, to use subcontractors in violation of national and international law. The fight continues!”
