Abu Dhabi, (Business News Report)|| Tunisian workers have been suffering the consequences of the economic reforms that Tunisia is pursuing due to its negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
The economic and financial crisis overburdened Tunisian workers and “created a state of discontent among workers”.
The most weighty trade union in the country is asking for more time to come up with solutions that are less harmful to Tunisia’s workers and citizens.
Tunisia is facing the worst financial crisis, while it hopes to reach an agreement with the IMF next April to obtain a loan to bridge the worsening financial deficit.
The approval of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) on the “economic reform plan” is a key element for the success of negotiations with the IMF, which asked the decision-makers to move to find solutions to the country’s financial situation.
IMF representative in Tunisia, Jerome Vacher, said last January that biggest responsibility lies in the hands of Tunisia’s decision-makers.
“It’s up to them to act to find solutions, put forward reforms, a vision and an ambition,” he said.
But the UGTT asked for a deadline in order to hold its electoral conference and the rise of a new leadership to sign the agreement with the government, the effects of which may continue for years to come.
The UGTT will hold its conference on February 17 and 18 and a new executive office will be elected. The “economic reforms” file is likely to be at the center of discussions and workshops at the conference.
The government is scheduled to present to the trade unions a “hard recipe for economic reform,” a draft of which was submitted to the IMF that includes measures to reduce public spending, increase growth through a package of tax measures, increase the prices of energy and subsidized materials, and stabilize the wage block.
The measures are to be applied at the beginning of the new year.
The draft also includes the intention of the Tunisian authorities to provide 1.5 billion dinars by freezing employment in the government sector.
Member of the negotiating committee between the UGTT and the Government, economic expert, Abdul Rahman al-Haqiq, stresses the importance of the UGTT’s position on the “government reform plan” of the IMF.
Al-Haqiq said that the economic informant of the UGTT has been working for a while on a reform plan and that there are points of convergence around it with the government.
However, he added, that the UGTT will not negotiate, and will not accept any concessions regarding reducing employees’ wages or selling government institutions that it considers the property of Tunisians.
He pointed out that the UGTT had never opposed any reforms that preserved workers’ rights, stressing that there are parties that benefit from the poor economic situation and are working to disrupt every rescue operation.
