(3 minutes read)
Tunisian President Kais Saied ordered Europe’s top trade union official to leave the country after she addressed protesters at a demonstration organized by an influential labour union-UGTT. Authorities accused Esther Lynch, the Irish general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, of making statements that interfered with Tunisian internal affairs. She addressed a protest meeting held against Saied in the port city of Sfax.
Tunisia’s General Labour Union, or UGTT, organized the demonstration to protest against the authoritarian president. The president, it is alleged, was engaged in crackdowns on political opponents. People who are being targeted belong to different walks of life, such as those in the media, judiciary, the business community, and trade unions. In her address, Lynch demanded the release of UGTT union leader Anis Kaabi, who was arrested by security forces last month.
She wanted the authorities to negotiate with the UGTT leadership and improve the economy. The country, she said, was facing many chronic ills and is on the brink of bankruptcy amid political instability. A parliamentary election last month saw only 11% of voters. The European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) confirmed that Lynch left Tunisia on Sunday.
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In December, the International Monetary Fund froze an agreement on a US$1.9 billion loan for Tunisia. The deeply indebted government needs the funds to pay UGTT-represented public sector salaries and to fill budget gaps aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine. In recent months. Coupled with these, Tunisians have been hit with soaring food prices and shortages of fuel and basic staples like sugar and vegetable oil.
