The governorate of Gafsa, southern Tunisia, on Thursday staged a general strike that included most of the city’s public facilities to demand development projects and job opportunities for the unemployed.
Public and administrative institutions, in particular, closed their doors since the morning. Meanwhile, striking workers from several sectors, unemployed people and representatives of civil society organisations gathered at the headquarters of the Regional Labour Union in Gafsa.
The organisations conducting the strike are calling on the government to implement previously suspended decisions issued by ministerial councils related to development projects in the region, in addition to publishing candidacy results to integrate staff in the Compagnie des Phosphates de Gafsa (CPG), the largest state company in the country.
Gafsa is one of the main states that participated in the protests against the rule of late President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali, and even before the events leading to his departure in 2011.
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The governorate includes the phosphate mining basin, which is witnessing frequent strikes and sit-ins that have led to the collapse of production by less than half, compared to an annual rate estimated at eight million tonnes annually before 2010.
The unemployment rate in a number of districts in the governorate has reached more than 35 per cent, which is nearly twice the national average estimated at 16.2, according to the latest official statistics.
Tunisia is witnessing general strikes in several regions since the end of 2020, including the governorates of Kairouan, Baja, El-Kef, Jendouba and Tataouine.