Tunisian transport strike adds more woes for President Saied

Metro and bus site visitors grounds to a halt in Tunis as workers go on strike over pay and bonuses.

Tunisia strike
The transport strike is a present of energy for the highly effective UGTT union, which has pledged to carry a sequence of protests [File: Yassine Gaidi/Anadolu]

Metro and bus site visitors within the Tunisian capital floor to a halt after workers of the state transport firm held a strike over delays within the cost of wages and bonuses.

The strike on Monday highlights the monetary issues confronted by public firms on the verge of chapter, whereas the federal government of President Kais Saied suffers its worst monetary disaster.

“The union is protesting in opposition to the delay within the cost of wages and bonuses,” mentioned Hayat Chamtouri, a spokesperson for the corporate.

“The monetary scenario within the firm is basically troublesome,” she added.

The transport strike is a present of energy for the highly effective UGTT union, which has pledged to carry a sequence of protests.

The union, which has a million members, has authorised a two-day strike by air, land and sea transport employees on January 25 and 26 to protest in opposition to what it referred to as “the federal government’s marginalisation of public firms”.

The strike sparked anger amongst hundreds of individuals struggling to seek out transport within the capital.

“At present, we don't discover milk, oil, sugar, or espresso. Additionally now we don't discover buses that take us to work. Tunisia has change into an insufferable hell,” mentioned Nejia, a girl ready at a bus station.

Within the poor Intilaka neighbourhood, individuals blocked roads to protest in opposition to the strike. The North African nation is grappling with eye-watering public debt, shortages of products from sugar to petrol and excessive inflation.

Tunisia is looking for a $1.9bn mortgage from the Worldwide Financial Fund in trade for unpopular reforms, together with spending cuts, the restructuring of public firms and reductions in vitality and meals subsidies.

The economic system minister, Samir Saeed, mentioned final month that he expects Tunisia to face a troublesome 12 months with an inflation price that can exceed 10 %.

The strike will enhance stress on the federal government of President Saied, who's going through rising opposition 17 months since seizing government powers in a transfer his opponents described as a coup.

Tunisia held elections in December to vote in a brand new parliament, changing the earlier legislature that Saied had suspended in July 2021.

Following Saied’s strikes to weaken the parliament and put energy into his personal palms, the opposition selected to boycott the vote.

Nearly all of Tunisians selected to skip voting, with the official turnout at a paltry 11 %.

Post a Comment

Previous Post Next Post