Tunisia

24 Feb 2023; MEMO: Amnesty International yesterday called on Tunisian President Kais Saied to stop the prosecution of civilians in military courts.

22 Feb 2023; MEMO: The Tunisian president has said that undocumented migration from sub-Saharan African countries is aimed at changing the demographic make-up of the country.

"The undeclared goal of the successive waves of illegal immigration is to consider Tunisia a purely African country that has no affiliation to the Arab and Islamic nations," President Kais Saied said in a meeting with the National Security Council yesterday.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — President Kais Saied of Tunisia ordered Europe’s top trade union official to leave the North African country after she addressed protesters at a demonstration organized by an influential labor union.

Authorities accused Esther Lynch, the Irish general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, of making statements that “interfered with Tunisian internal affairs” during a Saturday protest against Saied in the port city of Sfax.

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — President Kais Saied of Tunisia ordered Europe’s top trade union official to leave the North African country after she addressed protesters at a demonstration organized by an influential labor union.

Authorities accused Esther Lynch, the Irish general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, of making statements that “interfered with Tunisian internal affairs” during a Saturday protest against Saied in the port city of Sfax.

14 Feb 2023; MEMO: The regional offices of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) announced yesterday organising protests in several governorates against the security arrests of many trade unionists and the policies of the authorities.

Demonstrations are due to take place from 18 February in the governorates of Bizerte, Sfax, Kairouan, Nabeul, Jendouba and Monastir. Other areas are expected to join later.

11 Feb 2023; MEMO: The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a $120 million loan for Tunisia to fund small and medium enterprises, the World Bank confirmed earlier this week.

According to the World Bank, the loan aims to finance Tunisian institutions for lending to eligible small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

03 Feb 2023; MEMO: Tunisia's President has resorted to intimidating the nation's people, the head of a major labour union in the country said on Friday, Anadolu News Agency reports.

"President Kais Saied chose the path of intimidating the people and calling them, directly or indirectly, to fight," Secretary-General Noureddine Taboubi said at an emergency administrative meeting of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT).

LONDON, Feb. 1 (Xinhua) -- Up to half a million British teachers, university staff, train drivers and civil servants went on strike on Wednesday in the largest coordinated action for years amid lengthy disputes over pay.

Teacher members of the National Education Union in England and Wales walked out in the first of several days, affecting 23,400 schools.

There is a crisis of recruitment and retention within the school system, and a decade of falling pay is a key reason for this move and needs to be addressed by the government, the union said.

31 Jan 2023; MEMO: Former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki has renewed his call for the dismissal of incumbent President Kais Saied and the restoration of the democratic process.

"Any politician with a drop of honour would resign after yet another low voter turnout in a legislative election," said Marzouki on Twitter. "The mission of the people in all their groups is to accelerate the end of this ridiculous tragedy, to dismiss this man and to restore the democratic process."

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) — Tunisia’s president and its shaky, decade-long experiment with democracy are facing an important test Sunday as voters cast ballots in the second round of parliamentary elections.

Turnout was just 11% in the first round of voting last month, according to the electoral commission, as many disaffected Tunisians stayed away and the influential Islamist party Ennahdha and other opposition movements boycotted.