May 13, 2014 | The North Africa Journal |
Tunisia may be headed toward economic disaster if more money is not raised urgently. Endless labor strikes have had a paralyzing effect on many industrial sectors. In mid-March 2014, four major strikes crippled the economy, starting with the truck drivers who refused to deliver merchandise to businesses for two days.
That has affected the gasoline distribution network. The lorry drivers have reached a temporary agreement with the government, bringing the situation to some level of normalcy for now. In the administration, a strike of the office that issues fiscal stamps has also had a negative impact on economic activity. This is because most administrative and commercial transactions require such stamp to be recognized. Despite an agreement that was reached with the government, the strikers decided to keep the doors of their offices closed. A plea from the UGTT labor union leadership was not enough to convince the strikers to go back to work. Observers close to this specific strike are concerned about the real affiliation of the strikers and are worried that new labor unions competing with the UGTT, namely the CGTT and the UTT may be imposing themselves in ways that could further harm the national economy. Continue here | Click here to subscribe
