Tunisia’s main trade union federation has called for a nationwide general strike on January 21, 2026, to protest mounting pressure on critics and to demand a return to structured wage bargaining. The move signals a major escalation between the powerful workers’ organization and President Kaïs Saïed’s government, and it comes against a backdrop of political polarization and economic crisis.
Since the 2011 uprising, Tunisia has often been seen as the rare North African case that moved toward competitive politics and negotiated compromise. The UGTT (Tunisian General Labor Union) played a central role in that period and shared the 2015 Nobel Peace Prize as part of the National Dialogue Quartet, which helped steer the country away from breakdown after political assassinations and mass protests. In July 2021, President Saïed dismissed the government, froze and then dissolved parliament, and began ruling by decree, framing his actions as a response to corruption and institutional paralysis, while many opponents argued that he was concentrating power in his own hands.
Why the UGTT is calling a strike
The UGTT, which claims close to one million members and has strong representation in public services such as education, health care, and transportation, has shifted from initial support for Saïed’s 2021 intervention to open confrontation. Union leaders say the authorities have shut down established channels of social dialogue by unilaterally ending regular wage and labor negotiations that had been a hallmark of Tunisian governance since the 1970s. They also accuse the government of eroding civil liberties, sidelining political parties, and shrinking space for independent unions and civic groups.
The planned general strike is meant to pressure the authorities to resume negotiations over salaries and working conditions, and to signal that the union is prepared to use its organizational muscle if it is excluded from decisions that affect workers. Because the UGTT is deeply embedded in key public sectors, a full stoppage could disrupt schools, hospitals, and transport, adding strain to a state already facing budget constraints and rising public frustration over deteriorating services.
Widening concerns over repression and economic strain
Union leaders link their stance to a wider context in which opposition figures, journalists, and civil society actors have faced arrests, investigations, or restrictions, while the president insists that all actions are taken under the law and denies interfering with the courts. Rights advocates argue that the combination of political crackdowns, economic hardship, and a lack of clear recovery prospects is driving more young Tunisians to look for ways out of the country, both through regular migration channels and irregular routes across the Mediterranean. Against this backdrop, UGTT rallies and marches have become focal points for broader frustration with inflation, unemployment, and the perceived closing of political space.
Risk of escalation around January 21
Protest marches have multiplied across Tunisia’s major cities and regions—from southern hubs like Gabès to coastal centers such as Sfax and Sousse, and in the capital Tunis—creating a rolling calendar of demonstrations leading up to the January 21 strike. Many observers worry that if neither side softens its position, that day could bring confrontations between demonstrators and security forces, especially if essential public services are disrupted and tempers are already running high. Whether the government and the union can reopen channels of dialogue before then will help determine if the strike becomes a controlled show of force or a trigger for a deeper political and social crisis.
