The rules of the political game have changed, after July 25, 2021, when the President of the Republic announced the activation of article 80 of the Constitution, the suspension of Parliament’s activities and its control of matters.
After that, positions and alignments continued, but the Tunisian General Labor Union, the largest trade union organization in the country, expressed during the past weeks more than one opinion and position on the exceptional situation. So what is the role of the UGTT in the new phase?
To respond to this question, the Secretary General of the General University of Education for Secondary Education, Lassad Yacoubi , said in an interview with “JDD Tunisie”, that the Tunisian General Labor Union, did not live up to the aspirations of the unionists or the general Tunisians in the situation the country is going through.
Yakoubi added that the union was required to be at the center of events, after a fundamental change on July 25th abolished a dark era in the memory of Tunisians, characterized by the high cost of living, savage liberal choices and neglect in the public sector, issues that the union was defending.
Our interlocutor added that there is a new spirit after July 25, and we may disagree with the President of the Republic or agree with him, but the social spirit was clear and evident.
He added that the UGTT did not take the advantage of this oppotunity to transform this social orientation in the Presidency of the Republic into options and procedures.
He stressed that the Central Trade Union is still in a narrow circle and demands the formation of a new government without addressing the fate of Parliament and changing the constitution, and therefore wants to return to the government and the old legitimacy, according to him.
UGTT road map?
Days after its support for the president’s decisions, the Tunisian General Labor Union announced, on August 2, that it had drawn up a road map to get out of the current situation in the country, which will be presented to the members of its administrative body without approval until a government is formed.
“It is not possible to present a road map before forming a government, so that it does not go into a vacuum,” said Assistant Secretary in charge of Information Sami Tahri.
In the same context, sources from UGTT confirmed to “JDD Tunisie” that the labor organization’s document stipulates that the transitional period after the formation of the government should not exceed one year, after which premature elections will be held.
The same sources indicated that opting for the elections will necessarily require the resumption of the parliament’s work, whose members will work on amending the electoral law and ratifying the Constitutional Court law.
Recall that, Tahri indicated, in the occasion of the meeting of the UGTT regional administrative commission in Medenine, the central trade union considers that contacts between the President of the Republic and all parties, organizations and others are necessary to get the country out of the current political crisis.
According to him, the country requires more interest from the UGTT, particularly in the areas of the economy, health and the fight against the coronavirus.
