Tunisia’s influential General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) has announced a nationwide general strike for January 21, in a direct challenge to the policies of President Kais Saied and his government.
The union’s statement denounces what it describes as restrictions on trade union freedoms and calls for serious negotiations to raise wages, amid a severe economic crisis and mounting social tensions.
The strike is expected to cripple key public sectors — including education, health, and transport — putting additional pressure on a government already struggling with limited financial resources, and raising the likelihood of broader unrest as public frustration grows over deteriorating services and declining living standards.
The upcoming national strike caps a series of recent union-led protests, most notably a two-day stoppage by bank employees last November that disrupted financial transactions and led to long queues at already strained ATMs.
