Tunisians in the governorate of Gafsa are set to strike on Thursday to protest years of economic hardship brought on by neglect from successive governments.
The country has seen eight governments in a decade after the downfall of the country’s longtime president Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, but the issues affecting the central province never change.
It is one of the most underserved regions in the country, its inhabitants say.
Supported by the powerful Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), public workers are protesting for one day against increasing economic problems that eroded the living standards of Gafsa’s 100,000 people from a population of nearly 12 million.
"The infrastructure in the city is creaking, the streets are rough, families are living in abject poverty. You can't live there if you have children with no proper education and no entertainment facilities," the Assistant Secretary General of the UGTT, Mohammed Ali Boughdiri, told The National.
The UGTT, an acronym for its French name Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail, played a major role in the 2010/11 Tunisian revolution and in the subsequent democratisation process. It was part of the National Dialogue Quartet that was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015.
“Today’s strike is a peaceful and civil one that draws the attention of the government in Tunis to the miserable living conditions in the city,” said Mr Boughdiri.
The strike will cover all government facilities except for the vital medical sector, as the country struggles to curb a second wave of coronavirus that has worsened the economic crisis.
The message to the government in Tunis, where the wealth is concentrated, is that the strike will remain our essential and ultimate tool to pressure the decision makers into improving the harsh existence of Tunisians and ease the austerity measures. Labour leader, Mohammed Ali Boughdiri
The phosphate industry has been the focal point of growing public anger and frustration in the region for years. It is a key hard currency earner for the country but production has been badly affected by the on-and-off protests since 2011. Another big source of income is tourism, which nearly collapsed following a string of terrorist attacks in recent years and the Covid-19 pandemic.
It will also hit the vital phosphate basin in Gafsa, as workers at all five state-run mines have agreed to take part, Mr Boughdiri said.
The phosphate mines are also the main employer in the city, which has a towering unemployment rate of nearly 30 per cent, according to Tunisia’s National Institute of Statistics.
The World Bank says that the country’s unemployment rate stood at 16 per cent in the third quarter of last year.
“The message to the government in Tunis, where the wealth is concentrated, is that the strike will remain our essential and ultimate tool to pressure the decision-makers into improving the harsh existence of Tunisians and ease the austerity measures,” added Mr Boughdiri, sounding frustrated.
He was referring to reforms demanded by the International Monetary Fund in exchange for loans to Tunisia’s struggling economy, including salary freezes of the public sector’s 600,000 workers and cut of subsidies.
It is not only Gafsa that stages a wide strike. Public sector workers in the province of Sfax will step in the shoes of their fellows in Gafsa on January 12.
Tunis, the capital, is actually the poster child for anti-government protests and the launch-pad of a painful general strike in 2019 that disrupted all public services including ports, transport, schools and even hospitals.
The demands have remained the same since Ben Ali was forced from office: improve living conditions, reduce unemployment, poverty and higher pay. The government has been trying to negotiate an end to the protests to no avail and marathon last-minute negotiations have usually failed to avert strikes.
Zuhir Jilis, a 34-year-old teacher, is one of the optimistic Tunisians who participated in mass demonstrations against poverty and repression, which led to the ouster of Ben Ali, whose fall sparked uprisings and civil wars in the region.
His tone was very pessimistic today.
“We suffer from many hardships in today’s Tunisia not only in Gafsa. Where shall I start from? Unemployment, underdevelopment, poverty, Coronavirus. You choose,” Mr Jilis fumed.
“We haven’t reaped any benefit of this revolution. We got nothing.”
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
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Libya's Gold
UN Panel of Experts found regime secretly sold a fifth of the country's gold reserves.
The panel’s 2017 report followed a trail to West Africa where large sums of cash and gold were hidden by Abdullah Al Senussi, Qaddafi’s former intelligence chief, in 2011.
Cases filled with cash that was said to amount to $560m in 100 dollar notes, that was kept by a group of Libyans in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso.
A second stash was said to have been held in Accra, Ghana, inside boxes at the local offices of an international human rights organisation based in France.
Freezer tips
- Always make sure food is completely cool before freezing.
- If you’re cooking in large batches, divide into either family-sized or individual portions to freeze.
- Ensure the food is well wrapped in foil or cling film. Even better, store in fully sealable, labelled containers or zip-lock freezer bags.
- The easiest and safest way to defrost items such as the stews and sauces mentioned is to do so in the fridge for several hours or overnight.
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Citizenship-by-investment programmes
United Kingdom
The UK offers three programmes for residency. The UK Overseas Business Representative Visa lets you open an overseas branch office of your existing company in the country at no extra investment. For the UK Tier 1 Innovator Visa, you are required to invest £50,000 (Dh238,000) into a business. You can also get a UK Tier 1 Investor Visa if you invest £2 million, £5m or £10m (the higher the investment, the sooner you obtain your permanent residency).
All UK residency visas get approved in 90 to 120 days and are valid for 3 years. After 3 years, the applicant can apply for extension of another 2 years. Once they have lived in the UK for a minimum of 6 months every year, they are eligible to apply for permanent residency (called Indefinite Leave to Remain). After one year of ILR, the applicant can apply for UK passport.
The Caribbean
Depending on the country, the investment amount starts from $100,000 (Dh367,250) and can go up to $400,000 in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take between four to five months to receive a passport.
Portugal
The investment amount ranges from €350,000 to €500,000 (Dh1.5m to Dh2.16m) in real estate. From the date of purchase, it will take a maximum of six months to receive a Golden Visa. Applicants can apply for permanent residency after five years and Portuguese citizenship after six years.
“Among European countries with residency programmes, Portugal has been the most popular because it offers the most cost-effective programme to eventually acquire citizenship of the European Union without ever residing in Portugal,” states Veronica Cotdemiey of Citizenship Invest.
Greece
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Greece is €250,000, making it the cheapest real estate residency visa scheme in Europe. You can apply for residency in four months and citizenship after seven years.
Spain
The real estate investment threshold to acquire residency for Spain is €500,000. You can apply for permanent residency after five years and citizenship after 10 years. It is not necessary to live in Spain to retain and renew the residency visa permit.
Cyprus
Cyprus offers the quickest route to citizenship of a European country in only six months. An investment of €2m in real estate is required, making it the highest priced programme in Europe.
Malta
The Malta citizenship by investment programme is lengthy and investors are required to contribute sums as donations to the Maltese government. The applicant must either contribute at least €650,000 to the National Development & Social Fund. Spouses and children are required to contribute €25,000; unmarried children between 18 and 25 and dependent parents must contribute €50,000 each.
The second step is to make an investment in property of at least €350,000 or enter a property rental contract for at least €16,000 per annum for five years. The third step is to invest at least €150,000 in bonds or shares approved by the Maltese government to be kept for at least five years.
Candidates must commit to a minimum physical presence in Malta before citizenship is granted. While you get residency in two months, you can apply for citizenship after a year.
Egypt
A one-year residency permit can be bought if you purchase property in Egypt worth $100,000. A three-year residency is available for those who invest $200,000 in property, and five years for those who purchase property worth $400,000.
Source: Citizenship Invest and Aqua Properties
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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1.
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United States
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2.
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China
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3.
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UAE
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4.
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Japan
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5
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Norway
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6.
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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