TUNIS —
Cash-strapped Tunisia’s powerful
UGTT trade union confederation on Tuesday
announced a public sector strike on June 16 to protest runaway inflation and
reject any moves to privatize public firms.
اضافة اعلان
The announcement
comes as Tunisians struggle with a grinding economic crisis, and as President
Kais Saied’s government negotiates with the
International Monetary Fund (IMF)
for a $4-billion bailout package in exchange for potentially painful economic
reforms.
“All staff” at
159 state institutions and public companies will stop work to demand “immediate
negotiations to restore Tunisians’ purchasing power” and guarantees that state
firms will remain public, the UGTT’s central committee said in a statement.
The union accused
Saied’s government of “undermining the principle of negotiation and
backtracking on previously agreed deals”, at a time when the North African
country is experiencing “insane and ongoing price rises”.
Inflation hit 7.5
percent in April, partly spurred by soaring energy and wheat prices due to the
war in Ukraine.
Last week the
UGTT said it would not take part in a national dialogue proposed by Saied,
arguing that it excludes key political actors and civil society groups.
Saied sacked the
government last July before dissolving parliament and moving to rule by decree,
in moves opponents call a coup against the only democracy to emerge from the
Arab Spring uprisings.
The former law
professor has since laid out a political roadmap to adopt a new constitution
and hold elections, but has provided few details on his economic plans.
Under pressure
from the IMF,
Tunisia has proposed to freeze its public wage bill, one of the
highest in the world.
But the
international lender has also urged it to reach a deal with the UGTT as a
condition for a bailout package.
The Fitch ratings
agency warned on Monday that tensions between the government and the UGTT were
hampering negotiations with the IMF.
“Passing
political and economic reforms without the UGTT’s backing would be
challenging,” it said.
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