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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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US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
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US Applications for Jobless Claims Fall to 201,000, Lowest Level in Nearly a Year

A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)
A help wanted sign is displayed at a restaurant in Chicago, Ill., Nov. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh, File)

US applications for unemployment benefits fell to their lowest level in nearly a year last week, pointing to a still healthy labor market with historically low layoffs.

The Labor Department on Wednesday said that applications for jobless benefits fell to 201,000 for the week ending January 4, down from the previous week's 211,000. This week's figure is the lowest since February of last year.

The four-week average of claims, which evens out the week-to-week ups and downs, fell by 10,250 to 213,000.

The overall numbers receiving unemployment benefits for the week of December 28 rose to 1.87 million, an increase of 33,000 from the previous week, according to The AP.

The US job market has cooled from the red-hot stretch of 2021-2023 when the economy was rebounding from COVID-19 lockdowns.

Through November, employers added an average of 180,000 jobs a month in 2024, down from 251,000 in 2023, 377,000 in 2022 and a record 604,000 in 2021. Still, even the diminished job creation is solid and a sign of resilience in the face of high interest rates.

When the Labor Department releases hiring numbers for December on Friday, they’re expected to show that employers added 160,000 jobs last month.

On Tuesday, the government reported that US job openings rose unexpectedly in November, showing companies are still looking for workers even as the labor market has loosened. Openings rose to 8.1 million in November, the most since February and up from 7.8 million in October,

The weekly jobless claims numbers are a proxy for layoffs, and those have remained below pre-pandemic levels. The unemployment rate is at a modest 4.2%, though that is up from a half century low 3.4% reached in 2023.

To fight inflation that hit four-decade highs two and a half years ago, the Federal Reserve raised its benchmark interest rates 11 times in 2022 and 2023. Inflation came down — from 9.1% in mid-2022 to 2.7% in November, allowing the Fed to start cutting rates. But progress on inflation has stalled in recent months, and year-over-year consumer price increases are stuck above the Fed’s 2% target.

In December, the Fed cut its benchmark interest rate for the third time in 2024, but the central bank’s policymakers signaled that they’re likely to be more cautious about future rate cuts. They projected just two in 2025, down from the four they had envisioned in September.