Secretary-General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) Noureddine Taboubi said Monday the labour organisation” will not be firewood for any party whether in power or in opposition”, adding that “Tunisia is today at a dangerous turning point and it is time to adjust the course.”
Speaking at a seminar entitled “For a safe working environment without violence and harassment”, organised by the Department of Women, Youth, Workers and Associations, in coordination with the national board of Women Workers under the UGTT on International Women’s Day, Taboubi said Tunisia is going through a very difficult period today, where it is no longer possible to talk about rights and achievements amid a reality marked by a shortage of food and basic commodities.
“The UGTT cannot play the role of a spectator since it has always put the country’s interest first,” he said, adding that it is ready to find solutions and present visions to build a better future.
“The labour organisation will not be a false witness and refuses the abolition of subsidies, the wage freeze and privatisation in the public sector,” he said.
Taboubi stressed that the President of the Republic must present his economic and social programme so that the UGTT can express its opinion on it.
He stressed that the work must be done on the spot given the delicate situation in the country, with a view to upholding economic and social rights and public and individual freedoms and all the rights required by the rule of law, calling on all components of civil society to close ranks to defend the civil and democratic state of Tunisia.
On the other hand, Taboubi called on all components of civil society that defend women working in the agricultural sector in all regions to organise a “day of anger” at Habib Bourguiba Avenue in the capital before Ramadan to claim the economic and social rights of rural women, saying the UGTT will bear the cost of travel for participants in this day.
