Dozens of primary and secondary teachers gathered, Thursday, August 28, 2025, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Education in Tunis. At the call of the general federations of basic education and secondary education, affiliated with the UGTT, they protest against the “blocking of negotiations” concerning their professional and material demands.
Teachers chanted slogans in favor of the UGTT and the defense of the right to trade, demanding the immediate resumption of negotiations with the ministry. Banners displayed their dissatisfaction and recalled their claims remained unanswered.
Ikbal Azzabi, deputy secretary general of the General Education Federation, told the TAP agency that:
“This sit-in is” a clear message addressed to the ministry on the need to return to the negotiating table “, recalling that” the last meeting with the unions dates back to April “. »»
Strike in perspective
Ikbal Azzabi confirmed that:
“The strike on October 7 would be maintained if the ministry” persisted in ignoring teachers’ requests “. »»
He added that:
“Several correspondence had been sent without any official response being received.”
For his part, Mohamed Safi, secretary general of the General Syndicat of Secondary Education, denounced “the intransigence of the ministry” and his “constant contempt” of union demands. He indicated that a sectoral administrative commission will meet soon in order to assess the situation and consider other actions.
Breakdown social dialogue
The social conflict in the education sector has been bogged down for several months. Negotiations, suspended since April, have still not resumed despite the repeated requests for unions.
The claims mainly relate to the improvement of the professional and material conditions of teachers, in a context of a tense school year.
Among the main demands are notably the regularization of the directors’ movement, judged not in accordance with legal rules; the opening of joint negotiations between the General Federation of Basic Education and the Ministry; regulations for the situation of teachers classified in the A3 scale; and the increase in wages.
