Tunisian President Kaïs Saïed on Saturday (February 18th) ordered the expulsion of Esther Lynch, the general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, for statements described by Tunis as “flagrant interference”.
Ms. Lynch, the most senior European Union trade union official, “took part in a demonstration organized by the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) and made remarks which constitute a flagrant interference in the internal affairs of Tunisia,” according to a statement from the Tunisian presidency. Authorities are giving her 24 hours to leave Tunisia, where she is now considered “persona non grata”, according to the same source.
Earlier in the day, the European trade union official took part in a demonstration which brought together thousands of trade unionists in the city of Sfax (Centre-Est), at the call of the powerful trade union center UGTT. Coming to bring “solidarity from 45 million workers in Europe”, Ms. Lynch addressed the crowd gathered in this historic bastion of Tunisian trade unionism. “We say to governments: Hands off our unions, free our leaders,” she said.
The Tunisian government must “sit down and negotiate with the UGTT to find a solution” to improve the current political and economic situation, she added. UGTT spokesperson Sami Tahri told private Mosaique FM radio that Ms Lynch’s statements were a “defense of the right to organize and not an interference in the affairs of Tunisia”. “We condemn [his expulsion], which brings no honor to Tunisia,” he added.
Sit-ins and rallies against Kaïs Saïed’s policies
The demonstration in Sfax on Saturday was organized at the same time as many others in several cities of the country in order to protest against the deterioration of the economic situation and the arrest of Anis Kaabi, head of the highways branch of the UGTT. The latter is in pre-trial detention pending a trial, the date of which has been set for February 23, for having launched a strike on tolls. The UGTT announced sit-ins and rallies against Mr. Saied’s policies, culminating in a march in Tunis on March 11.
Tunisia has been mired in a serious political and economic crisis since Mr. Saïed seized power in July 2021 by dismissing the Prime Minister and suspending Parliament, before dissolving it in March 2022. He then revised the Constitution to reduce the prerogatives of Parliament and return to an ultra-presidential system similar to that before the 2011 revolution and the fall of dictator Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali.
His critics accuse him of establishing a new autocracy in the country which was the cradle of the “Arab Spring”. In addition to political divisions, the country is experiencing serious economic difficulties – food shortages, high inflation…
