The executive office of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) issued, this Friday, September 24, 2021, a press release in which it responds to the exceptional provisions published in Presidential Decree No. 2021-17 While the UGTT reaffirms its support for the measures of July 25, viewing that it is a historic chance to break with a decade overshadowed by stumbles, chaos, corruption, and terrorism that has spread, however, it expresses rejection in attempting to use these failures as a pretence.
The UGTT renews the call to speed up the formation of a government with broad powers capable of dealing with the complications of a situation worsened by the exceptional situation, a government that would establish the continuity of the State in the implementation of its promises, engagements and agreements with social parties.
The trade union centre cautions against the perils of a concentration of powers in the hands of the Head of State in the absence of constitutional amendment structures, considering the constitution as a starting point and a significant reference, in the expectation of a conscious referendum on its amendment.
It further calls for reforms not to be confined to formalities and the restructuring of the political and electoral system, but to incorporate all systems that have been overlooked and systematically sabotaged over the decades. The UGTT considers that the alteration of the constitution and the electoral law is a question that involves all the components of the society, including the public structures, the organizations, the associations, the parties and the national personalities, refusing the monopoly of the president on the amendment. Finally, it indicates that this is a danger for democracy, emphasising that there is no solution to get out of the current crisis without consultation, partnership and dialogue.