Tunisian purchasing power deteriorating: Labor union

By Yosra Ounas

TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – The purchasing power of Tunisians has deteriorated, the country’s main trade union said.

"All indicators issued by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) show that the Tunisian purchasing power has deteriorated,” Noureddine Taboubi, the Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), told a union event in the capital Tunis on Tuesday.

Tunisia’s inflation rate hit 6.7% in January, up from 6.6% in December, according to figures by INS.

Several commodities were also reported to be insufficient in markets as cooking oil, sugar and rice.

Tunisia is going through a severe economic crisis aggravated by the coronavirus pandemic and rising fuel prices amid the ongoing Russian war on Ukraine.

Last year, Tunisian President Kais Saied dismissed the government, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority, in a move decried by opponents as a “coup”.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar