Tunisia government to support poorer families following deadly unrest

Tunisia's government is attempting to quell unrest in the North African state with an offer to provide financial assistance to lower-income families and meetings with trade unions and activists.

Angry protests erupted this week in parts of Tunisia after inflation and tax increases left many families feeling financially squeezed by the government's austerity measures.

A source told Reuters that the government was ready to provide assistance to the poorest families.

President Beji Caid Essebsi is meanwhile meeting political parties, trade unions, employers and activists in an attempt to end the protests.

"We discussed the general situation in the country and the reforms, especially socio-economic, that must be adopted to overcome the current problems," Wided Bouchamaoui, head of the employers federation, said.

Noureddine Taboub, a union chief, has said the government must provide aid to poorer families and offer better social care.

A week of protests have led to some violence with hundreds arrested after protesters clashed with security forces.

There has been growing anger over high unemployment, price increases for fuel and basic products, along with tax hikes on telecom services and other goods.

Tunisia has delved into an economic crisis since the 2011 revolution, in part due to increased stability hitting the country's tourism industry.