Dialogue ‘only option’ to preserve Tunisia's gains: Labor union

By Amna El Yafrany

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisia’s powerful labor union UGTT on Saturday said dialogue is the only option for moving the North African country forward.

“Dialogue is the only option for Tunisians to preserve the nation's gains, consolidate the foundations of its stability, and advance the wheel of progress, justice and freedom," Noureddine al-Taboubi, secretary-general of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), said during an event organized by the Ministry of Social Affairs in the capital Tunis.

"Consensus on the major national options stems only from honest and impartial dialogue based on the firm conviction of the necessity of placing the nation's interest above all considerations,” he added.

Tunisian Prime Minister Najla Boden, for her part, said Tunisia is going through a critical phase that “requires the immediate initiation of deep reforms."

"The state will bear the full responsibility to carry out its remedial and social role through a fair distribution of support and directing it towards those who deserve it," Boden added.

On Thursday, President Kais Saied pledged to soon issue a decree to hold a national dialogue in Tunisia. The Ennahda movement, however, said it opposes “sham” dialogue that could “deepen the political crisis when the economic and financial situation is on the verge of collapse.”

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis since July 25, 2021, when Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament, and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup.” He later dissolved the parliament in March after lawmakers held a session to revoke his measures.

The North African country is also going through a severe economic crisis aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic amid the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine.

* Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar