Summary:

On Monday, 20 November 2023, authorities in Sfax arrested the Secretary General of the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) office in Sfax along with three other leaders of the country’s largest public sector labor union.

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The union officials were accused of obstructing port operations in Sfax, specifically the operation of a ferry that provides transport between Sfax and the Kerkennah Islands which lay just off Tunisia’s coast. The ferry is operated by SONATRAK which has facilitated the movement of personnel, goods, and vehicles between Sfax and Kerkennah since the 1970s. 

The local UGTT office in Sfax held emergency meetings and organized protests in response to the arrests. 

On Thursday, 23 November 2023, the cases against the four union members were dismissed or resulted in suspended sentences, leading to their release. However, the UGTT expressed concern that the government is seeking to harass union officials and disrupt union activities. 

Outlook: 

Tunisia’s traditionally powerful unions have been gingerly navigating a complex political season during which political apathy has gripped much of the populace. The handling of the arrests of Sfax UGTT officials primarily at the local level points to the caution with which the national-level union leaders are operating. 

Following a flurry of arrests targeting union officials that appeared to be building toward a significant standoff with President Kais Saied and his administration, the unions have been notably less vocal. The UGTT has taken a leading role in organizing pro-Palestinian protests, but rhetoric targeting President Saied has slackened. 

President Saied’s administration has made clear that the 2024 budget will not include cuts to subsidies and likely will not include an International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan deal that would carry with it requirements for substantive reform to Tunisia’s economic system. In the eyes of Tunisia’s unions, this is a victory that has likely contributed to the more measured rhetoric. 

However, as President Saied continues to operate under a mandate to end corruption, situations similar to the one in Sfax could emerge, threatening the fragile peace between the administration and union leaders.

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