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🇵🇾 Paraguay /Economy & Trade

Tunisia’s largest union urges national defense against government economic policies

From ABC Color · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire From a news agency Ongoing story
  • Tunisia’s largest labor union, the UGTT, called on civil society to unite against the government’s economic policies and demanded a review of them.
  • The union blamed the government for worsening economic and social conditions, shortages of basic goods and medicines, and repeated water and electricity cuts.
  • The UGTT also criticized the deaths of 14 young people in the Mediterranean and alleged that authorities were weakening trade union activity.

Tunisia’s largest labor union has called on civil society to join forces against the economic policies of President Kais Saied’s government, which it says have sharply worsened living conditions.

The Tunisian General Labour Union, known as the UGTT, said purchasing power had fallen and that basic goods and medicines were becoming scarce. It also accused the government of allowing repeated interruptions to water and electricity supplies and of permitting public services to deteriorate while leaving them in the hands of monopolies and speculators.

The union rejected what it called an attempt to make Tunisians bear the cost of failed policies. It said the authorities were responsible for guaranteeing basic services and protecting purchasing power, and demanded that the government review its economic approach.

An alarming deterioration in citizens’ economic and social conditions.

· Tunisian General Labour UnionThe UGTT described the consequences it attributes to the government’s economic management.

The UGTT also condemned the deaths of 14 young people in the Mediterranean in August. It said they had been forced into irregular migration because of the lack of opportunities in Tunisia and held the government responsible. The union said helping young Tunisians required jobs, dignity, hope and restored confidence in the future and the country, rather than unilateral decisions that caused exclusion and marginalization.

The union further accused the authorities of persecuting and weakening trade union activity and reaffirmed its commitment to workers, public services, dignity and social justice.

Opposition parties, social organizations, unions and citizens have stepped up criticism in recent weeks amid recurring water and electricity cuts since early July. Tunisia also endured a summer with temperatures reaching 47 degrees Celsius in the capital and 49 degrees inland. Social organizations and lawyers said the heat contributed to the collapse of hospital emergency services and an unprecedented prison crisis, with several dozen inmates dying amid overcrowding and inadequate ventilation.

Saving Tunisia’s youth requires providing jobs, dignity, hope and restoring confidence in the future and in the nation.

· Tunisian General Labour UnionThe union outlined its response to the deaths of young Tunisians attempting to migrate irregularly.
About this summary

Originally published by ABC Color in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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