Tunis – The Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) organized a union march on Thursday, December 4, which began at Mohamed Ali El Hammi Square in the capital. This coincided with the 73rd anniversary of the assassination of national and union leader Farhat Hached.
The union’s assistant secretary-general, Sami Tahri, confirmed that the union’s administrative body will meet tomorrow, Friday, to set a date for the general strike. This indicates escalating tensions between the union and the government.
Al-Taheri explained that the potential strike stems from three main demands. These include imposing social dialogue, defending the right to negotiate and unionize, and rejecting the salary increase included in the 2026 draft budget law for both the public and private sectors. He described this increase as “unacceptable and unprecedented.”
Al-Taheri pointed out that the union had previously sent more than 17 letters to successive governments since the government of Najla Bouden, without any response. He considered this evidence of the government’s inclination to reject dialogue and escalate the crisis.
He explained that the march included a gathering in Batha’a Muhammad Ali, passing through several neighborhoods until it reached the mausoleum of the martyr Farhat Hached. There, Secretary-General Noureddine Taboubi delivered his speech. This was followed by a ceremony of remembrance and the recitation of the Fatiha, in an annual tradition commemorating the return of the martyr’s remains from Kerkennah to the capital.
Amid this escalation, observers warn that the prevailing rejection of dialogue within President Kais Saied’s regime could deepen the political and social crisis in Tunisia. They emphasize that solutions cannot be achieved through unilateral decisions or rhetoric, but rather through genuine dialogue that addresses the demands of the people and the rights of workers.
