Tunisian Workers’ Union Mulls General Strike Following Clashes

Tunisia’s General Workers’ Union ( UGTT) is considering a general strike, following Tuesday’s clashes between UGTT members and activists of the League for the Protection of the Revolution, Shems FM reported.

UGTT will also boycott the activities of ruling Islamic party, Ennahdha, and those of the Congress for the Republic (CPR), the report said quoting Abbes Hanachi, member of the union’s administrative committee.

On Tuesday, hundreds of people belonging to the League for the Protection of the Revolution, said to be close to Ennahdha, attacked an UGTT rally in front of the union’s headquarters, as the Union readied to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the assassination of a union leader.

UGTT believed that CPR was behind Tuesday’s clashes which left at least 10 people injured. The Union will meet on Wednesday to decide whether or not to hold the general strike, the report said.

Observers noted that the latest incident is another sign of growing tension between UGTT and the Ennahdha-led government, amid popular criticism of the government’s incapacity to curb unemployment and rising inflation rate.

Xinhuanet