Tunisia’s top union on collision course with President

Tunisia’s powerful General Labour Union (UGTT) has called a nationwide protest for 21 August, accusing President Kais Saied’s government of undermining workers’ rights and trying to weaken its leadership, reports The New Arab. The clash marks the sharpest confrontation yet between the president and the Nobel Prize-winning union, long one of Tunisia’s most influential political actors.

The UGTT says Saied’s supporters attempted to storm its headquarters this month following a nationwide strike, chanting accusations of corruption. Saied publicly endorsed the protesters’ grievances, calling for union accountability, while Prime Minister Sara Zanzari scrapped long-standing provisions allowing union leaders paid leave from their jobs—a move the UGTT denounced as “a declaration of war.”

Founded in 1946, the UGTT has played a decisive role in Tunisia’s political life, from anti-colonial resistance to the 2010 Arab Spring uprising. Analysts warn Saied is now targeting the union as part of a broader crackdown that has already swept up opposition parties, judges, journalists and activists since his 2021 power grab.