payITUC-Africa demands dialogue, warns against wage suppression
By Victor Ahiuma-Young
The African Regional Organisation of the International Trade Union Confederation, ITUC-Africa, has thrown its weight behind Tunisian bank and financial sector workers who have embarked on a nationwide strike to demand fair wages and improved living conditions.
The continental labour body said it stood in “firm solidarity” with the Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, UGTT, describing the strike as a legitimate response to persistent inflation, harsh fiscal measures, and stagnant wages that have eroded workers’ purchasing power.
According to ITUC-Africa, the strike must be understood within the broader economic realities facing Tunisia, including slow growth, tight public finances, and rising food inflation that continues to burden ordinary households.
The statement by ITUC-Africa General Secretary, Akhator Joel Odigie, said: “For ITUC-Africa, the right to strike is not an end in itself. It is a legitimate, internationally-recognised instrument that workers use to reopen or deepen social dialogue—especially when earlier efforts at negotiation have stalled or been ignored. Where dialogue is blocked, workers resort to collective action to make their voices heard. That is precisely what UGTT-affiliated unions have done in this case, and it is their right to do so.”
The organisation urged Tunisian authorities, employers in the banking and financial sector, and regulatory institutions to return to the negotiation table immediately and address workers’ grievances in good faith.
“We therefore urge the relevant Tunisian authorities, employers in the banking and financial sector, and regulatory institutions to return to the table immediately and address the workers’ grievances in good faith, including adjusting wages to restore purchasing power; reviewing fiscal or finance-law provisions that effectively reduce take-home pay for this category of workers; and unblocking sectoral social negotiations so that collective bargaining can function normally,” it noted.
ITUC-Africa also reminded the Tunisian government that the country’s unions—particularly UGTT—had historically played a stabilising and democratising role, serving as a pillar for social peace. It warned that ignoring legitimate demands would only deepen social hardship and prolong uncertainty.
“Undermining their role or ignoring legitimate socio-economic demands only prolongs uncertainty and hardship. Instead, authorities should see this strike as an invitation to rebuild trust through structured, time-bound, and inclusive dialogue.”
The statement further cautioned that Tunisia’s fiscal and economic challenges—ranging from high unemployment to limited external financing—could not be solved by suppressing wages.
“We further note that Tunisia’s ongoing fiscal and economic pressures—limited external financing, high unemployment, and the need for more ambitious reforms—cannot be resolved by squeezing workers’ wages. Social justice, decent work, and functioning collective bargaining are part of the solution, not the problem.”
Reaffirming solidarity with Tunisian workers, ITUC-Africa expressed support on behalf of 18 million workers from 52 African countries.
“As trade unionists across Africa, we echo the workers’ song that has inspired generations — ‘for the union makes us strong’ — and we send this as a message of courage to our sisters and brothers in Tunisia as they defend their livelihoods and dignity,” the statement added.
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