Around 1,000 strike supporters gathered outside UGTT headquarters in central Tunis, singing the national anthem and waving flags. The union has demanded a new deal to raise public sector salaries, including retroactively for last year. “It will serve as a reminder to the IMF that working people in Tunisia can only sustain so much economic pain,” he said. Tunis resident Basma Rabeh, 50, said the union should have responded more immediately to Saied’s power grab almost a year ago. “It’s time for the IMF, the Tunisian government and the UGTT to formulate an alternative vision for economic development in Tunisia,” he said.

Source: The North Africa Journal June 17, 2022 02:15 UTC