“Freedom, freedom, down with the police state”, “Stop impoverishment”, dThousands of people marched in Tunis on Saturday March 4 at the call of the country’s main trade union, the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), which called on President Kaïs Saïed to accept “dialogue”.
The head of the UGTT denounced at the podium about twenty recent arrests of opponents of the head of state – including leaders of the main anti-Saïed coalition – and of a trade unionist for having launched a strike in the motorway tolls. “We will never accept these practices of arrests”launched Noureddine Taboubi, in front of more than 3,000 people gathered in the Tunisian capital, according to journalists from Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“We are resisting to defend our trade union rights and are united like the five fingers of a hand”affirmed Mr. Taboubi, whose central claims nearly a million members and which is a centerpiece of the national dialogue in Tunisia.
The UGTT, very influential on the political scene, has been engaged in a standoff with Mr. Saïed since the arrest on January 31 of a union official in the wake of a speech by the president denouncing an instrumentalization of the right to strike. “for political purposes”.
The head of the organization co-winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015 denounced on behalf of President Saïed, “Settlements of scores and remarks that divide society”. And to add: “We presented an initiative [de réformes] with others and it is as if we had committed a crime”. He also appealed to the Tunisian President “to peaceful and democratic changes”.
Tunisia indebted to 80% of its GDP
The boss of the powerful union also criticized the negotiations between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), assuring that the UGTT was not “informed in detail of the proposals” from Tunis. Tunisia, in debt at 80% of its GDP due in particular to the weight of its civil service (more than 650,000 employees), is negotiating IMF aid of nearly 2 billion dollars, but the talks have been dragging on since mid-October.
Many demonstrators brandished chopsticks or empty baskets to denounce inflation which exceeds 10% per month and sporadic shortages of basic foodstuffs (milk, coffee, sugar and oil). Once again, Mr. Taboubi totally rejected the idea “of a lifting of subsidies” to basic products (fuel and food), one of the counterparts to the granting of aid by the IMF.
The union leader also defended ” rights ” immigrants. “Tunisia is a country of tolerance, ‘no’ to racism”he said, after attacks in Tunisia against sub-Saharan nationals following Mr. Saïed’s speech against illegal immigration.