Hundreds of Tunisian security forces demonstrated in front of the presidential palace in Tunis on Thursday for better pay and social conditions. They called on Prime Minister Habib Essid to respond to their demands, Anadolu has reported.
Wearing civilian clothes, the demonstrators said that although they will “protect our homeland” they will not give up on their rights. They accused the government of “stalling” and criticised its lack of response to their demands, which they insisted are legitimate.
The protesters made reference to some officials who have recently joined the ministry of the interior even though they once held positions under disgraced President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who was toppled in a popular revolution in 2011. They demanded that they should be removed from their positions in the ministry.
The demands made by the protesters include increases in pensions and benefits, as well as special allowances for working in dangerous areas or the desert. The average salary for security officers in Tunisia is around 560 dinars (about $280) a month.
The government has allocated 20 per cent of its 2016 budget, amounting to 29 billion dinars (about $13 billion), for the defence and security sectors, revealed Finance Minister Selim Shaker.