MP Yasser Gourari confirmed, in a statement to Tunisienumérique, that several members of the National Council of Regions and Districts have endorsed the proposal to cap salary increases at 7% in both the public and private sectors.
According to him, councillor Dalel Lamoushi, along with several colleagues, has taken up the proposal and will reintroduce it during the second chamber’s examination of the 2026 Finance Bill.
A first rejection due to insufficient majority
Gourari recalled that the same amendment had previously been submitted to the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, where it received 50 votes, falling short of the 54 votes required for adoption.
The initiative’s return to the second chamber could reopen the debate, especially as the proposal reportedly enjoys broad support among regional and district representatives.
The MP noted that the Ministry of Finance has projected an average salary increase of 3.8% in the 2026 Finance Bill — a percentage he deemed inadequate:
“This rate does not even cover inflation, which the Minister of Finance places at 5.4%,” he said.
A possible return via the conciliation committee
If the 7% cap is approved by the second chamber, the proposal could be referred to the conciliation committee between the two chambers, allowing for another round of examination.
Gourari stressed that the institutional process still provides mechanisms to reintroduce and defend the amendment.
A legislative role that does not replace social partners
The MP insisted that the initiative does not aim to replace social partners in their responsibilities:
“We are not substituting ourselves for the social dialogue actors, whose role we respect. But when negotiations stall, we have a popular mandate to represent the people in all their concerns and demands. We cannot leave Tunisians alone facing government choices that might even cap salary increases at 2%.”
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