The powerful Tunisian trade union centre UGTT has announced a nationwide public sector strike on June 16 to protest against soaring inflation and prevent the privatisation of major state-owned companies.
The announcement comes at a time when the country is wallowing in a deep economic crisis and the government is counting on the support of the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) for the reform programme it has submitted to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in the hope of obtaining new credit.
In its statement, the union accused President Kais Saied of “undermining the principles of negotiation and reneging on previous agreements”, while the country is facing “crazy and continuous price rises”, with inflation at 7.5% in April.
