Labour union strike brings Tunisia to standstill as civil servants demand salary rise

Tunisia's largest labour union staged a long-planned general strike on Thursday to demand salary increases for public sector servants amid deepening economic and social woes. 

Several hundreds gathered outside the headquarters of the powerful UGTT trade union in central Tunis and at regional offices across the country to observe the one-day national strike. 

Trade unionists, members of political parties and activists from various social movements attended the rally in Tunisia's capital in a show of anger at the government's refusal to raise wages of more than 670,000 civil servants. 

Strikers were chanting slogans like "the people want fiscal justice", "down with the IMF government" and "the people want the overthrow of the government", which was also heard in the 2011 uprising that toppled former autocrat Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. 

Large-scale disruption

Rail, bus and air traffic were brought to a halt hitting airports, ports, schools, hospitals, state media and government offices.

Public servants working the central and local governmental institutions, employees of 148 state-led companies participated in the labour action. The strike included a turnout of over 90 percent of civil servants, according UGTT's early estimations.

	The UGTT says over 90 percent of public sector workers joined the nationwide strike[Getty]

The strike organised by the syndicate was the biggest since the assassination of opposition politician Chokri Belaid in February 2013.

It followed drawn-out negotiations between the trade union federation and the government that finally failed on Wednesday in a last-minute meeting between the secretary-general of the UGTT, Noureddine Taboubi, and the head of the cabinet which lasted only few minutes.  

"The government previously signed a salary increase agreement in the public sector, so why not in the civil service?", questioned UGTT's deputy secretary-general Anwar Ben Kaddour.

"If we acknowledge there's high inflation for all Tunisians, that affects all workers, including the civil service sector", he added. 

Back in November, the UGTT said it was demanding state employees receive pay rises equal to those granted in 2018 to public companies. 

Deepening economic woes

Making up a sixth of Tunisia's workforce, public servants have struggled in keeping up with rising prices.

The monthly average wage of roughly $128 is one of the lowest in the world, according to the UGTT, which reportedly pointed out that private-sector workers, instead, have seen a six percent pay increase for 2019.

Ben Kaddour criticised the government for not addressing major economic and social issues. These include tax evasion, the deficit of social security funds, informal economy, inflation and the decline of purchasing power of the average Tunisian. In his view, one critical priority for Youssef Chahed's government should be "to put an end to tax evasion", which would bolster the state's ability to tackle the country's core grievances.

The government previously signed a salary increase agreement in the public sector, so why not in the civil service?

Persistent economic crises in the North African state has led to the erosion of living standards with price hikes, inflation nearing 8% and youth unemployment hitting 30%, about double the national level. 

The Tunisian government had proposed spending about $400 million on salary increases, whilst the UGTT wanted that raised to at least $800 million, government and union, sources told Reuters. 

The government also suggested a small wage increase of up to $61) per month to be financed through tax credits. Critics slammed the proposal, claiming that such an increase would be heavily taxed or would not be added to retirement pensions. 

The government refused to increase wages in 2019, under intense pressure from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to freeze public sector wages and spending and cut expenditure. The IMF struck a $2.8 billion loan deal with Tunisia in 2016 in exchange for a commitment to carry out economic reforms and reduce its budget deficit.

'No' to privatisation

While civil servants are demanding a rise in wages, employees of state-owned companies are calling for the creation of a joint commission (formed by the UGTT and the government) in charge of assessing and reforming state-run companies to avoid their privatisation. 

"We're here to demand the continuity of the national sector. One major problem is to guarantee the sovereignty of our companies", said Rim Kefi, secretary-general of the trade union at the National Inter-city Transport Company (SNTRI). "We're against privatisation plans."

She lamented the state neglect, citing long existing problems within the transport sector that include lack of help from the state and poor supply of tools, materials and spare parts. 

"Restructuring state-owned enterprises is the only way to keep them in life. It's a gain for both companies and the state", Kefi argued. 

This is a strike of dignity, it's not really about wage rises. Tunisian citizens need dignity above all

The UGTT's deputy secretary-general believes Tunisia "ill negotiated" the terms of agreement signed with the IMF since some crucial aspects of the accord were not dealt with by the government. Among them are the issues of reforming social security funds, banks and of the labour market and fiscal justice. 

The syndicate federation promised to "escalate" if Chahed's government does not react after the strike, showing determination to maintain its demands for its affiliates. 

In tweeting about the national strike, Max Gallien, a researcher specialising in North Africa, specified that the UGTT largely represents public sector workers, "not all Tunisian workers". He wrote that the majority of Tunisia's workers have "no explicit representation in this fight." 

Yet, with economic hardships spiralling in the last couple of years, civil servants and public sector employees participated massively in the strike. Yesterday's was the second largest countrywide general strike in Tunisia's history, second only to the one held in January 1978 that resulted in deadly riots. 

"This is a strike of dignity, it's not really about wage rises. Tunisian citizens need dignity above all", voiced trade unionist Kefi.

"Everything is going up, people are struggling to get by daily, we're just asking for decent living conditions to survive." 

Alessandra Bajec is a freelance journalist currently based in Tunis. 

Follow her on Twitter: @AlessandraBajec