The union center is raising its voice: tomorrow, Friday December 5, the UGTT will set the date for a national general strike, denouncing a government which refuses any negotiation and confirming the escalation of the standoff with the government, driven by social and union demands deemed urgent.
Sami Tahri, deputy secretary general of the Tunisian General Labor Union, indicated that the administrative body will meet on December 5 to officially set the date of the general strike. The announcement, relayed by the central’s official channels, confirms the escalation of the conflict between the UGTT and the government.
The UGTT denounces an absent dialogue and a “fanciful” increase
According to Tahri, the strike movement will focus on three major axes: the demand for real social dialogue, the defense of the right to collective bargaining and the right to organize, as well as the rejection of the increase provided for in the 2026 finance bill for the public and private sectors. He described this increase (3.8%) as “fanciful” and “unacceptable”.
He specifies that the UGTT has sent more than 17 correspondence to several governments, since that of Najla Bouden, without obtaining the slightest response. For him, this total lack of interaction is not a simple administrative blockage but the sign of an assumed strategy of escalation.
Accusation of institutional blockage
Sami Tahri strongly criticized what he described as a persistent refusal of dialogue on the part of the authorities. According to him, the executive power seeks to marginalize social and trade union organizations, reflecting a deep crisis in relations between the State, civil society and actors in the world of work.
The march organized on December 4 will be part of a symbolic route: gathering at Mohamed Ali Square, then moving to several neighborhoods before reaching the martyr’s mausoleum. Secretary General Noureddine Taboubi will deliver a speech, followed by a ceremony of contemplation and the reading of the Fatiha. This commemoration recalls each year the transfer of the remains of the martyr from Kerkennah to Tunis.
Growing social tension
In a climate marked by almost non-existent institutional dialogue, the UGTT believes that current governance is sliding towards unilateralism and exclusion. The central union affirms that only real negotiation, respectful of rights and popular demands, can prevent the country from sinking further into a lasting political and social crisis.
Read also
