Tunisia: Labour Union criticises sacking of school principals asking for pay raise

Protesters gather upon calling of Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) to stage a demonstration demanding that the ministries fulfill their reform promises for the region in Kairouan, Tunis on 3 December 2020. [Yassine Gaidi – Anadolu Agency]

The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) has criticised the Ministry of Education’s decision to expel 350 school principals and suspend the salaries of 17,000 teachers who were demanding an increase in pay, Anadolu has reported.

According to UGTT spokesman Sami Al-Tahri on Wednesday, the Union believes that the teachers’ withholding of grades in protest is part of the legitimate struggle of the sector that began last September. Al-Tahri described the ministry’s decision as a “grievance”, which is “illegal and unprecedented.”

Taoufic Al-Shabi, Assistant Secretary-General of the University of Basic Education, said that the union is open to all options, including litigation and filing a case against the Minister of Education, Muhammad Ali Boughdiri. The minister himself has said previously that the teachers’ withholding of the students’ grades is a “disaster and a crime against children.”

The past academic year witnessed a crisis between the Ministry of Education and the Education Union, during which negotiations between the two sides faltered. The union’s demand is to improve the financial situation of teachers by increasing their wages in line with the decline in purchasing power and high prices.

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