Confrontation escalates between General Union and president Saied

A confrontation between Tunisia‘s General Labour Union (UGTT) and President Kais Saied is intensifying, with the union scheduled to stage a nationwide workers protest on August 21.

The UGTT has accused Saied’s government of attempting to undermine workers’ rights and using intimidation to curb strikes. This development comes after a three-day transport strike in late July, which paralyzed much of the country.

According to Hamza Meddeb of the Carnegie Institute, the UGTT has always played a significant role in Tunisia’s political life, from anti-colonial resistance to the 2010 Arab Spring uprising.

“The UGTT has always been more than just a trade union,” Meddeb said. “It was established even before Tunisian independence, and played a significant role in achieving that.” The union’s ability to mobilize its hundreds of thousands of members stands as one of the few remaining counters to Saied’s government.

The confrontation between the UGTT and Saied reached a boiling point on August 7, when hundreds of Saied’s supporters rallied outside UGTT headquarters, accusing the union of corruption and squandering people’s money.

Saied defended the anti-union protesters, calling for union accountability and stressing that his supporters had not intended violence.

“There are files that must be opened because the people are demanding accountability… so that their money can be returned to them,” Saied said in a video posted on the presidency’s official Facebook page.

Many analysts point to the union’s weakened state due to internal schisms and the threat to its decades-long monopoly on union power in Tunisia. “For the past two years, the UGTT has been silent, certainly on the political side of things,” a political analyst who remained in Tunisia told newsmen on condition of anonymity.

“Saied even revised the labour code without consulting them,” they said, referring to the May decision to change laws affecting many UGTT members. “Previously, making a decision on that scale without the UGTT would have been inconceivable,” they added.

The UGTT’s relatively low profile can be attributed to an internal rupture prompted by its decision in 2021 to extend its board’s mandate from two to three terms.

This move has splintered the union’s membership and undermined its effectiveness. Meddeb notes that many UGTT members view the 2021 decision as a “coup d’etat of the union’s own,” which has weakened the board’s decision-making capacity.

The financial situation across the country is also deteriorating, affecting the state-dependent middle class that forms the core of the union’s membership. As a result, Saied’s accusations of corruption resonate with some union members.

The government has announced plans to halt the practice of allowing union officials to receive their government salaries while on union business.

This move is expected to further weaken the UGTT. Additionally, Saied is reportedly encouraging the rival Union of Tunisian Workers (UTT), which could potentially capitalize on the UGTT’s weakening bond with its membership.

Analyst Hatem Nafti believes the UTT might try to take advantage of the situation to boost its standing. However, the UTT leadership’s previous convictions on corruption charges could impact its success.

In the face of these challenges, the UGTT remains determined to assert its rights and protect its members’ interests. As the confrontation between the union and Saied’s government escalates, the outcome remains uncertain.

The UGTT’s secretary-general, Noureddine Taboubi, has called for a protest in response to what the union says are government attacks upon it. The situation continues to unfold, with potential implications for Tunisia’s political and economic landscape.