Tunisian Workers on Hunger Strike Demand Job Security and Social Coverage
Employees of the Social Affairs Ministry Protest for Fair Treatment and Legal Rights
Watan-Tunisian employees on a hunger strike in front of Parliament have made an appeal to President Kais Saied, urging him to intervene and resolve their professional conditions. Approximately 1,500 employees work in one of the institutions under the Ministry of Social Affairs with temporary contracts and no social coverage.
Four employees from the International Center for the Advancement of Disabled Persons have been staging an ongoing sit-in since May 5, and they have been on hunger strike for nine days, demanding the resolution of their work conditions.
Amena Zouidi, one of the participants in the sit-in, told Al-Quds Al-Arabi: “We will not end our sit-in until we meet with President Saied, because we want to present our demands to him regarding the situation of 1,473 employees at the center who have been working for about two years on temporary contracts without rights or social coverage.”
She pointed out that the Minister of Social Affairs, Issam Al-Ahmar, visited the protesters and pledged to address their situation. A number of MPs and civil society organizations have also visited them, but they emphasized that they will continue their protest until a formal decision is made to address their work conditions.
Tunisian Hunger Strikers Demand Job Stability and Social Rights Amid Harsh Conditions
Zouidi added: “We are exhausted and soaked, living under harsh conditions in the rain and cold, but we are determined to resist. We will not leave this place until a formal decision is made to resolve our situation and guarantee our rights.”
Human rights and civil organizations have launched a wide campaign in solidarity with the protesters. A delegation from the Tunisian League for Human Rights, the Democratic Women’s Association, and the Intersection for Rights and Freedoms visited them, among others.
Bassem Al-Treifi, president of the Tunisian League for Human Rights, wrote: “Full solidarity and support for activist Amena Zouidi, who is on hunger strike in front of the House of Representatives in Bardo, demanding her right and the right of her colleagues to have their work conditions regularized and to secure their social coverage, as public sector employees. Social coverage is a constitutional and human right.”
Asrar Ben Jouira, president of the Intersection for Rights and Freedoms, condemned the security forces for “harassing” the protesters and attempting to expel them from the location, restricting their right to protest.
The sit-in coincides with the parliament’s discussion of a draft law regulating labor contracts and prohibiting outsourcing (temporary work contracts), which has sparked a debate between the Ministry of Social Affairs, the Social Affairs and Family Committee, and the Committee for the Disabled in Parliament.
Earlier, President Kais Saied called for an end to outsourcing in both the public and private sectors, while preserving the rights of workers who were replaced by others, and ensuring the legal consequences for any violation of workers’ rights. He stressed that workers have the right to job stability, dignity, and the protection of their rights.
