Tunesien: Gewerkschaften kämpferisch gegen neoliberale Regierung

March of the unions hits Tunisia

Morning Star February 26th 2012 Tom Mellen
Five thousand people marched through central Tunis on Saturday to demand the neoliberal Islamist government step down amid reports that ruling party activists have been vandalising union offices.
Members of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) marched shoulder-to-shoulder with members and supporters of the centre-left Progressive Democratic Party, the left-liberal Ettajdid movement and the Tunisian Communist Party.
After marching down Habib Bourguiba Avenue protesters massed outside the Interior Ministry waving national flags and union banners, chanting: "The people want the government's fall," "Hands off my UGTT," "The Tunisian people are free - no America, no Qatar" and "Employment, freedom, national dignity."
They branded the government "dictatorial" and "backward."
Many protesters also blasted the so-called Friends of Syria conference which had been held in Tunis on Friday.
One man said: "This imperialist conference is a sign of the subjugation of the new regime to foreign powers - Qatar and the United States in the first place."
When riot police tried to break up the rally scuffles ensued. Most protesters cleared after officers tear-gassed the crowd, but some stone-throwers skirmished with police for about half an hour before calling it a day.
The Tunisian journalists' union later filed a complaint against the Interior Ministry after riot police pushed and shoved reporters trying to do their job.
The UGTT called the protest after large heaps of rubbish were dumped outside several of its offices last Tuesday amid an ongoing strike by refuse collectors.
The union confederation blamed members of the neoliberal Islamist Ennahda party, which dominates the country's tripartite coalition government.
It has warned that Ennahda is trying to stifle the collective voice of working people in the country.
Adressing protesters on Saturday UGTT secretary general Houcine Abassi said: "They want to make us shut up so they can have a monopoly and decide our fate alone. But we will never bend and never surrender."
Mr Abassi declared the union confederation would continue to co-operate with progressive forces to "achieve the objectives of the revolution embodied in employment and the fight against poverty and marginalisation."

Nadja und Enissa sagen: Solidarität!