Taboubi welcomes President’s decision to end precarious work and subcontracting labour

Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT), Noureddine Taboubi, said that the government had refused to implement the agreements signed with UGTT, welcoming the decision of President Kais Saied to put an end to precarious work and all forms of subcontracting labor. Taking the floor during a gathering held, Sunday, outside the Prime Ministry at the Kasbah square, Taboubi said that «the social dialogue with the government has been blocked.» The government has not activated the agreement of February 6, 2021 which includes 46 sectoral agreements, claiming that "it is dealing with public finance difficulties." «The government claims to have paid off its debts last year, yet this was done at this expense of basic foodstuffs which were missing on the national market and were not imported in sufficient quantities,» he explained. Taboubi added that the agreement which was signed with the government on salary increase has not been implemented, despite the deterioration of the purchasing power of w orkers and the high inflation rate (7.3% in January 2024) On the other hand, he reiterated that «since the Tunisian Revolution, the UGTT has fought against all forms of precarious work which resulted in sorting out the situation of construction site workers, teachers and substitute teachers.» Taboubi called for cancelling Decree 54 in order to guarantee freedom of expression and freedom of opinion as well as resume negotiations which represent a major step forward to building Tunisia. Next March 9 and 10, the UGTT will form an administrative committee which will examine the general situation in the country and monitor the cases of trade unionists prosecuted in Tunisian courts. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse