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Tunisia Syndicates Call for Biggest Strike Within Public Sector Institutions

Tunisia Syndicates Call for Biggest Strike Within Public Sector Institutions
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Tunisia Syndicates Call for Biggest Strike Within Public Sector Institutions

Tunisia Syndicates Call for Biggest Strike Within Public Sector Institutions

Tunisian General Labor Union continued its series of syndicate meetings held by some of the most prominent public sector institutions, in order to rally the union and popular support to carry out the largest general strike in public sector institutions on October 24.

This step raised fears of repeating the strike, which took place on January 26, 1978, resulting in dozens of casualties and the imprisonment of union leaders during the rule of former President Habib Bourguiba.

President of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) Noureddine Taboubi held a meeting on Wednesday that included major public sector companies, public transport company, the Tunisian Company of Electricity and Gas, and TunisAir.

These companies are threatened to be privatized due to major financial difficulties and the failure of several plans to restructure them over the past years, which means that thousands of workers must be abandoned and that is precisely rejected by the labor union bodies.

In a meeting held at the headquarters of the labor union with the workers of the public transport company, Taboubi stressed the commitment of union leaders to public sector institutions.

He pointed out before hundreds of trade unionists, who criticized the government, that employees pay about 75 percent of the direct tax, weakening their purchasing power.

He also called for uniting the union rules with the labor union for the success of the public strike, so that public sector institutions remain for all Tunisians.

Meanwhile, Tunisia’s UGTT announced its commitment to the public strike.

It suggested establishing a supreme planning body to deal with the government and end the economic and social crises by controlling new economic strategies, away from traditional references.

On the other hand, Executive Director of the Tunisian Appeal Party Hafez Qayed al-Sibsi and Head of the Free Patriotic Union (FNP) Salim Riahi announced during a press conference on Wednesday a new distribution of leadership positions.

This came following the announcement of the political integration of the two parties.

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Russian Gas Flows via Ukraine for Last Days as Transit Deal Crumbles

A view shows the Orenburg gas processing plant of Gazprom in the Orenburg Region, Russia September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
A view shows the Orenburg gas processing plant of Gazprom in the Orenburg Region, Russia September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
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Russian Gas Flows via Ukraine for Last Days as Transit Deal Crumbles

A view shows the Orenburg gas processing plant of Gazprom in the Orenburg Region, Russia September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo
A view shows the Orenburg gas processing plant of Gazprom in the Orenburg Region, Russia September 1, 2023. REUTERS/Alexander Manzyuk/File Photo

Russia pumped gas on Monday to European customers via Ukraine for one of the last days before a key transit deal expires at the end of the year, marking the almost complete loss of Russia's once mighty hold over the European gas market.

Supplies of Russian gas via Ukraine are due to stop from the early hours of Jan. 1 after the current five-year deal expires. Kyiv has refused to negotiate a new transit deal as its war against Russia approaches the end of a third year.

Russia and the Soviet Union spent half a century building up a major share of the European gas market, which at its peak stood at 35%, but the war in Ukraine has all but destroyed that business for Gazprom, Russia's state-controlled gas giant.

Moscow has lost its share to rivals such as Norway, the United States and Qatar since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, which prompted the EU to cut its dependence on Russian gas.

The slump in Russian gas supplies to Europe pushed gas prices to an all-time high, stoking inflation and raising the cost of living across the continent.

The end of the transit deal is unlikely to cause a repeat of the 2022 EU gas price rally as the remaining volumes are relatively small. Russia shipped about 15 billion cubic metres (bcm) of gas via Ukraine in 2023 - only 8% of peak Russian gas flows to Europe via various routes in 2018-2019.

President Vladimir Putin said last week that there was no time left this year to sign a new Ukrainian gas transit deal, laying the blame on Kyiv for refusing to extend the agreement, according to Reuters.

The Soviet-era Urengoy-Pomary-Uzhgorod pipeline brings gas from Siberia via the town of Sudzha - now under the control of Ukrainian soldiers - in Russia's Kursk region. It then flows through Ukraine to Slovakia. In Slovakia, the gas pipeline splits into branches going to the Czech Republic and Austria.

Most other Russian gas routes to Europe are shut, including Yamal-Europe via Belarus and Nord Stream under the Baltic that was blown up in 2022.

The only other operational Russian gas pipeline routes to Europe are the Blue Stream and TurkStream to Turkey under the Black Sea. Turkey sends some Russian gas volumes onward to Europe including to Hungary.

DISPUTES

Gazprom plunged to a net loss of $7 billion in 2023, its first annual loss since 1999, because of the loss of the EU's gas markets.

Disruptions to gas supplies have also sparked numerous contractual and political disputes.

On Monday, Moldovan Prime Minister Dorin Recean ordered his government to start preparing for the possible nationalisation of gas company Moldovagaz, which is 50%-owned by Gazprom.

Gazprom had said it plans to suspend gas exports to Moldova from 0500 GMT on Jan. 1 due to unpaid debts. Moldova disputes it is in arrears for previous gas shipments and accuses Russia of destabilising the country, which Moscow denies.

Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico said on Friday that Slovakia would consider reciprocal measures against Ukraine such as halting back-up electricity supplies if Kyiv stops the gas transit from Jan. 1.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy accused Fico on Saturday of opening a "second energy front" against Ukraine on the orders of Russia. Slovakia denied the accusation.

Gazprom said that it will send 42.4 million cubic metres of gas to Europe via Ukraine on Monday, a volume in line with recent days.

Reuters reported last month that Gazprom is making the assumption that no more gas will flow to Europe via Ukraine after Dec. 31 in its internal planning for 2025.

Ukraine could consider continued transit of Russian gas on the condition that Moscow does not receive money for the fuel until after the war, Zelenskiy said earlier this month.