The union opposition in Tunisia resumed its protests against the leadership of the Tunisian General Labour Union, in a move that highlights the depth of the divisions within the union before the upcoming electoral conference in March.
The opposition coordinator, Qassem Afia, demanded the necessity of accelerating a comprehensive dialogue within the union to restructure it and save it from the current crisis, stressing that everyone bears responsibility for the deterioration of conditions within the organization. He clarified that the solution can only be through a joint committee bringing together various unionists to determine the steps for rebuilding. These protests come days after the Secretary-General Noureddine Tabboubi withdrew his resignation, which was expected to contribute to easing the tension, but the ongoing protests reveal the depth of the complex crisis facing the union. Political analyst Hisham Al-Hajji pointed out that the current crisis is unprecedented in the history of the union, due to the convergence of internal pressures with a suppressed confrontation with the political authority, especially after the cancellation of the mechanism of direct deduction from the salaries of subscribers, which increased the pressure on the leadership days before the extraordinary conference. Al-Hajji affirmed that Tabboubi's return does not complicate the situation, but may pave the way for overcoming it if the conference is prepared properly away from narrow electoral calculations, warning of the danger of remaining in a state of deadlock that prevents progress towards a solution. For his part, analyst Mohamed Saleh Al-Obeidi explained that the continuation of the protests reflects the growing gap between the current executive office and its opponents, especially with the ambiguity of the directions of the upcoming electoral conference. He added that this escalation and internal debates may undermine the union's ability to manage the general scene in Tunisia, and that Tabboubi's return did not succeed in breaking the stagnation, but rather increased tension and ambiguity about the future of the union.
