Tunisia: largest trade union expresses confidence in president

Tunisia’s largest trade union expressed “full confidence” on Sunday in the exceptional decisions taken by President Kais Saied in July, Anadolu has reported. The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) also called for a change in the current political system.

The country has been gripped by a political crisis since 25 July, when Saied dismissed Prime Minister Hichem Mechichi and assumed executive authority with the help of a government headed by a prime minister of his own choosing. The president also froze the work of parliament for a period of 30 days, lifted MPs’ immunity and assumed the role of public prosecutor. State officials were sacked and replaced.

“The Tunisian General Labour Union is waiting for President Saied to unveil a clear road map along with the speedy formation of a new government,” explained the Assistant Secretary-General of the UGTT, Hafaidh Hafaidh.

The majority of Tunisia’s political parties rejected Saied’s exceptional measures. Some have called them a “coup against the constitution”. Others support the moves as a way to correct the course of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution.

According to Hafaidh, “The positions of the UGTT and Tunisian President Kais Saied intersected for the benefit of Tunisia.”

Saied denies that this was a coup, and insists that the measures were based on Article 80 of the Constitution with the aim of “saving the Tunisian state”. The moves coincided with popular protests calling for the overthrow of the entire governing system and accusing the opposition of failing to play its role during the ongoing political, economic and health crisis.

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“Changing the political system is necessary, and completing the formation of the government as soon as possible will enable the UGTT to follow up on the people’s social rights,” added Hafaidh. “In the absence of an effective government, we cannot follow up on the enforcement of the labour agreements carried out earlier by the union [appointments, grants and follow-up of labour files]… Despite the labour related obligations, the union will wait for the completion of the formation of the government and refuses to return to the pre-25 July era.”

Last week, the UGTT called for the formation of a “small government with specific tasks as soon as possible.” Its General Secretary, Noureddine Taboubi, said on Tuesday that, “There must be a government, and the first person responsible for the government should be someone with an economic background, who is efficient and can understand the economic situation and the reality of Tunisian society and its entitlements.”

Observers believe that the recent developments in Tunisia are a setback for the democratic process. The North African country has been viewed as a model for other Arab countries that witnessed popular revolutions against tyrannical regimes years ago.