Télé24’s editor-in-chief, Abdoulaye Kaback Camara
Journalists and broadcasters at Télé24, a prominent private television channel in Conakry, launched an indefinite strike on Monday, August 4, shutting down broadcasts at the station. The collective of media workers, led by the editor-in-chief, Abdoulaye Kaback Camara, is protesting months of unpaid salaries, arbitrary dismissals, and a lack of transparency regarding the channel’s ownership.
Guinean national dailies have widely covered the strike, bringing attention to long-standing problems in the media field, including difficult work environments and unclear management practices.
The Télé24 staff’s grievances stem from a tumultuous year following the channel’s acquisition by an undisclosed owner in July 2024. According to a statement from the striking collective, journalists have gone unpaid for four to six months, with some facing salary cuts and others dismissed without explanation.
“This is a year of precarity,” Camara told reporters, decrying the “inadmissible opacity” surrounding the identity of the new owner. The situation worsened when a representative, Bangaly Biramou, was introduced via a phone call as the intermediary for the owner, whose identity remains unknown. “We’re dealing with ghosts,” Camara said, emphasising the workers’ demand for a direct meeting with the true proprietor to resolve the crisis.
The strike has disrupted Télé24’s programming, leaving its airwaves unusually silent, a development that some reports described as exposing the “structural fragility” of Guinea’s media landscape.
The collective’s demands are twofold. They call for the immediate payment of all salary arrears and a formal meeting with the channel’s owner. “We’re not asking for anything extraordinary, just to work with dignity,” Camara stated.
The journalists have vowed to continue the strike until their demands are met, warning of “stronger actions” if no progress is made. By August 5, some progress was reported. Local media platform, Mosaiqueguinee, noted that the station’s management began partial salary payments, with some journalists receiving three or four months’ wages out of the owed amounts.
However, Camara clarified that the payments were incomplete, with a third group of workers still unpaid. “We’re not 100% satisfied, but the lines are starting to move,” he said, hinting that the strike might pause if negotiations advance. The unresolved demand for a meeting with the owner remains a sticking point, with the collective insisting on transparency to prevent future mismanagement.
The Télé24 strike has drawn solidarity from Guinea’s media community, with calls for the government and the High Authority of Communication (HAC) to intervene. Some media platforms reported that the action underscores broader issues in Guinea’s media sector, where a forthcoming collective bargaining agreement, validated in May, has yet to curb such labour disputes.
As the strike continues, it serves as a stark reminder of the precarious conditions facing journalists in Guinea, amplifying demands for fair treatment and accountability in the industry.
