In its most stark diagnosis in years, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) sounded the alarm regarding what it described as the "dangerous slide" being led by President Kais Saied's policies, asserting that the country is experiencing the most perilous period in its modern history. In a strongly worded statement marking the 15th anniversary of the revolution, the union drew a stark contrast between the "investment drought" plaguing Tunisia and the developmental momentum witnessed in Morocco, holding the government responsible for the "isolation" resulting from its haphazard diplomatic and economic choices.
The UGTT bitterly noted the vast disparity in attracting foreign capital. While Morocco has successfully secured over 250 investment projects worth nearly $50 billion, Tunisia is experiencing a structural paralysis that it described as a "slow death sentence" for the national economy. The report attributed this failure to the stifling of private initiative, the disintegration of the production system, and the continuous collapse of the dinar's value, transforming the crisis from abstract figures into a "harsh social reality" that threatens thousands of families with poverty and vulnerability. On the diplomatic front, the organization did not hesitate to directly criticize Kais Saied's foreign policy, considering the deterioration of relations with Rabat a "strategic blunder." The statement emphasized that the "ambiguous" stance on the Western Sahara issue contributed to weakening Tunisia's regional position, stressing that this issue falls within "Morocco's internal affairs," and that deviating from positive neutrality harmed Tunisian national interests and deprived the country of its traditional balance in the region.
From a human rights and labor perspective, the organization painted a "bleak" picture of the state of freedoms, condemning the overcrowding of prisons with political prisoners, journalists, and union members, in a disguised return to authoritarian practices. It also denounced the "militarization" of economic decision-making and the rejection of social dialogue, asserting that the failures have even extended to the sports sector, describing Tunisia's elimination from African competitions as a "direct reflection of the absence of good governance" and the central administration's mismanagement.
In closing, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) demanded the unconditional release of all political prisoners and the immediate implementation of wage increases to combat rampant inflation. It asserted that the solution to the crisis lies in returning to a "path of consultation and consensus" and respecting trade union pluralism, warning that continuing the approach of "exclusion and unilateral decision-making" will only lead to further social unrest and institutional collapse in Tunisia.
