On April 3, 2025, the Department of the Private Sector of the Tunisian Labor General Union (UGTT) held a key meeting to take stock of collective negotiations, and in particular on the issue of wage increases and statutory reforms.
Far from being a simple formality, this meeting highlighted the growing difficulties of private sector workers, who are faced with increasingly strong economic pressure.
The members of the UGTT did not hide their dissatisfaction with the stagnation of wages, arguing that the lack of wage adjustment has worsened the consequences of inflation on the purchasing power of employees. A bitter, but realistic observation: inflation weighs heavily on the finances of Tunisians, and the private sector is no exception to this reality. For union representatives, it is imperative to relaunch negotiations, both financially and on that of professional regulations, in order to find solutions to this crisis.
Thus, the UGTT reiterates its attachment to collective negotiations, whether on wage issues or statutory revisions. But beyond the declarations, there is a real emergency: the unions ask that concrete actions be implemented to obtain an increase in wages, essential for the economic survival of many workers. “We need a clear action plan to move forward,” insisted the members of the group, stressing the need to go from speeches to acts.
A particularly criticized point was the lack of responsiveness of the social partners to UGTT calls. For trade unionists, the lack of serious and constructive dialogue blocks any advance. This inertia is all the more frustrating when we know that, since May 2024, the UGTT has initiated the process of preparing negotiations, in close collaboration with the Tunisian Union of Industry, Trade and Crafts. Despite in -depth exchanges and concrete proposals, the negotiation process was suspended in September 2024, after a first round of discussions.
The secretary general of the private sector, Taher Mezzi, did not chew his words by specifying that the UGTT had officially seized the Ministry of Social Affairs in order to relaunch negotiations, thus hoping that the government takes a more active part in the facilitation of this social dialogue. It is clear for the UGTT: the current situation of workers in the private sector can no longer last.
