Car-cable maker LEONI-Tunisia group decided, on Friday, to close down its plant in northern Mateur, Governorate of Bizerte, which employs 3,500 workers.
LEONI-Tunisia Managing-Director Mohamed Arbi Rouissi said, in a statement a copy of which was received by TAP, “that this decision was taken, after it has become impossible to guarantee normal progress of work in the northern Mateur site, in spite of the efforts exerted to reach a consensus and establish social dialogue with the union side.”
He said that “this decision comes after the death threats against the company’s executives and workers from the grassroots branch of Tunisia’s Laborers’ Union (UTT) and actions of its Secretary-General “who incites discord and regionalism amongst the workers,” denouncing the resulting “total chaos and violation of the law.”
“The sit-ins and wildcat strikes in the LEONI plant of northern Mateur caused delays in the delivery dates for our customers,” he added.
LEONI-Tunisia Director-General regretted, in this statement, his group’s decision, especially at this difficult economic situation and the succession of crises which Tunisia is going through, specifying that the decision to close down the plant was taken with the green light of the mother company in Germany.
The LEONI group has been operated in Tunisia since 1977. It employs more than 14,000 executives and laborers in its sites of Messaadine, Mateur and Ezzahra.
The LEONI-Tunisia Managing-Director had said, a week ago, that the strikes staged by UTT for February 8, 9 and 10, “had no justification,” describing the union’s presented claims as “unrealistic.”
The LEONI-Tunisia executives had held a working session on February 10, in the Mateur delegation seat, with the trade union but to no avail.
