Train Employees Go on Strike in Tunisia over Unmet Govt Pledges

A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
TT

Train Employees Go on Strike in Tunisia over Unmet Govt Pledges

A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)
A general view of Habib Bourguiba Avenue in downtown Tunis, virtually deserted on the first day of a general lockdown to stop the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) ordered by Tunisia's president, in Tunis, Tunisia, March 22, 2020. (Reuters)

Employees of state-owned National Society of Tunisian Railways went on strike on Thursday over unmet government pledges.

The one-day strike included the freight transport, commuter, long-distance and suburb lines.

The employees were demanding the implementation of a previous agreement signed with the government years ago and the settlement of professional matters including promotions and work conditions.

This strike coincided with the Tunisian General Labor Union protests that have been ongoing for weeks against the ruling authority’s policies and current social situation.

Head of the "private railways syndicate", Najib Al-Jelassi‎‏ said the strike “was not the aim but the means” to obtain the rights of employees.

The strike is the result of the authority’s failure to fulfill its previous commitments, he added.

Separately, the Independent High Authority for Elections is mulling plans to hold municipal elections later this year. They were first held on May 6, 2018.

Independent High Authority for Elections president Farouk Bouasker expected the elections to take place between June 15 and the beginning of July.

He stressed that the Authority was ready to stage the polls.



Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
TT

Blinken Speaks to Israel’s Dermer about Humanitarian Situation in Gaza

 A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)
A man sits on rubble of a house destroyed in an Israeli strike at the Nuseirat refugee camp, central Gaza Strip, on November 12, 2024, amid the ongoing war between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. (AFP)

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken emphasized the importance of improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza in a meeting with Israeli Minister of Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer in Washington on Monday, the State Department said.

Dermer updated Blinken on operational changes and policy decisions taken by Israel in response to a US letter sent in October, the department said in a statement on Tuesday.

Blinken "emphasized the importance of ensuring those changes lead to an actual improvement in the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, including through the delivery of additional assistance to civilians throughout Gaza," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in the statement.