Guinea union in organizing push at Simandou despite hurdles

Simandou, the vast iron-ore, rail and port development in south-eastern Guinea, is entering its operational phase. The first commercial shipments left the country in December 2025.

The project covers two mining concessions and a shared rail and port network. Blocks 1 and 2, known as Simandou North, are held by Winning Consortium Simandou (WCS) and Baowu Winning Consortium Simandou (BWCS). China's Baowu Steel became the majority shareholder in January with 51 per cent, alongside Winning International Group and China Hongqiao/Weiqiao.

Blocks 3 and 4 or Simandou South, are held by Simfer S.A., led by Rio Tinto with Aluminium Corporation of China (Chalco). The Guinean government holds a 15 per cent stake in both concessions and in the rail and port infrastructure jointly owned through La Compagnie du TransGuinéen (CTG).

Union membership rises

FSPMCICA, an IndustriALL affiliate, said Guinean law allows the appointment of a union representative once a workforce reaches 25 workers, including subcontractors. Membership has increased over the past year after an organizing campaign and expansion into companies where the union previously had no presence, though Simandou's heavy reliance on subcontracting remains one of the union's main concerns. However, employment is expected to fall from a peak of about 60,000 workers to fewer than 15,000 as operations scale down. On the anticipated wave of redundancies as the project moves past its construction peak, the union described the job losses as a sad reality. As the workers affected are on fixed-term contracts, it said its role is to ensure redundancies are carried out according to labour laws while pushing for improved severance provisions.

FSPMCICA now represents more than 85 per cent of Guinea's mining sector. Dues collection has also become harder since the abolition of the automatic check-off payroll deduction system. The union must now collect its annual membership fee of 65,000 GNF (USD $7) directly from members.

According to FSPMCICA, work at Simandou runs 24 hours a day, seven days a week, in eight-hour shifts with overtime, rest periods and holidays. The union has raised safety concerns with operators including Simfer, WCS/BWCS and CTG, covering site and camp standards, working hours, rotas, rest periods for extended and night shifts, personal protective equipment, quality and replacement, training, accommodation, food, sanitation, drinking water and union involvement in health and safety matters. Collective bargaining at Simandou does not happen union-to-company but between the Guinean Chamber of Mines and the employers' federation FEPAMGUI on one side and the union on the other.

Expatriates pay secrecy

Guinean workers are paid in Guinean francs (GNF) on the 25th of each month. Among manual grades, unskilled workers start on 7 million GNF (US$ 792), supervisors on 15 million GNF (US$ 1,698) and executives on 20 million GNF (US$ 2,264) - well above the national minimum wage of 550,000 GNF (US$ 62). The union said this secrecy has bred frustration among Guinean managers, who feel it leaves them with no visible path to promotion. The wage disparities and failure to comply with labour laws on equal pay and collective bargaining led to a strike in May by 3000 workers at Simandou North.

The union wants transparency at Simandou. Despite being a civil society member in the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), it said repeated requests for publication of the Simfer/Rio Tinto contract have been refused. Site visits, it added, are selective with access requests routinely turned down on security grounds.

Marliatou Diallo, FSPMCICA assistant general secretary said: "Our membership is growing due to the union's recruitment and organizing campaign. We will continue to demand transparency on expatriate wages, which are kept strictly confidential. In similar roles occupied by local workers, the pay gap can be as high as tenfold."

"We continue to support organizing efforts by FSPMCICA and their fight for equal pay and better working conditions at Simandou,"

added Paule-France Ndessomin, IndustriALL Sub Saharan Africa regional secretary.