Union leaders in southern Tunisian town declare general strike after 'heavy-handed dispersal' of sit-in

22 Juin 2020

Tunis, Tunisia, June 22 (Infosplusgabon) - The Regional Labour Union of Tataouine in southern Tunisia, a union affiliated with the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), on Sunday evening urgently declared a general strike for Monday "to denounce the intervention of the police" to disperse a sit-in of striking workers.

According to the union officials, who were speaking to the press, "workers are ready to carry out other forms of even more heavy-handed struggle, if the authorities do not release the members of the trade union organisation arrested during the dispersal of the sit-in".

UGTT Secretary-General Noureddine Tabboubi, in a statement to the press, said he was surprised by the police's intervention and reaffirmed his desire for a calm and responsible dialogue to find solutions and hope for unemployed young people.

For its part, the Interior Ministry said that "the situation has deteriorated to the limits of an operation to attack the security forces responsible for maintaining order in the city". This resulted in injuries to police officers, some of whom have been transferred to the hospital for treatment.

"Protesters attempted to attack the regional security complex by throwing Molotov cocktails, which posed a significant threat to the security of law enforcement officers and police headquarters, prompting security units to take necessary measures to protect these structures using legally authorised means in such situations," it said.

In this regard, the ministry said that 10 people among those who were trying to attack the security headquarters has been arrested.

FIN/ INFOSPLUSGABON/ORE/GABON2020

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