The national administrative commission of the Union générale tunisienne du travail (Ugtt) is holding a meeting this Thursday, 22 January 2026, against a backdrop of deep internal divisions and mounting tension within the country’s main trade union confederation.
Key issues on the agenda: the national congress and a general strike
The meeting will mainly focus on preparations for the upcoming national congress, scheduled for 25, 26 and 27 March 2026, as well as on the issue of a general strike, whose scope and timing remain at the heart of ongoing union debates.
The national administrative commission is expected to continue work on organizing the ordinary congress, a major milestone that has, in recent months, triggered sharp internal rifts, further intensifying tensions among the organization’s leadership.
Deep divisions over the future of the organization
Disagreements notably concern the future orientation of the Ugtt, its governance model and the question of leadership renewal. These diverging visions have fuelled an unprecedented climate of internal confrontation, exposing structural fragilities that had long remained contained within the union.
A meeting seen as a last chance
The session will bring together conflicting union leaders in what many observers view as a last opportunity to contain the internal crisis. The stakes are high: preserving a minimum level of cohesion ahead of the congress and preventing a further widening of internal fractures.
The future of the Ugtt at stake
Within union circles, concerns are growing over the future of this historic organization, whose current situation reflects, according to several assessments, an unprecedented level of organizational weakness. Many fear that failure to reach understandings during this meeting could deepen the crisis and jeopardize the Ugtt’s stability in the medium term.
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