Tunisia’s public sector workers strike for wage hikes

By Yosra Ouanes
TUNIS, Tunisia (AA) – Tunisian’s public sector workers on Thursday staged a general strike called by the country’s powerful UGTT labor union to demand salary hikes.

The one-day strike includes 159 public institutions, including seaports and airports.

Tunisia faces its worst financial crisis and is seeking a $4 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The UGTT, which has more than a million members, calls for wage increases for state workers as inflation reached a record level of 7.5% in April, from 7.2% in March and 7% in February.

Tunisia has been in the throes of a deep political crisis that aggravated the country's economic conditions since President Kais Saied ousted the government, suspended parliament and assumed executive authority in July 2021.

While Saied insists that his measures were meant to "save" the country, critics have accused him of orchestrating a coup.

* Writing by Bassel Barakat