Tunisia orders top European trade union official expelled
Share this @internewscast.com

TUNIS – President Kais Saied of Tunisia ordered Europe’s top trade union official to leave the North African country after she addressed protesters at a demonstration organized by an influential labor union.

Authorities accused Esther Lynch, the Irish general secretary of the European Trade Union Confederation, of making statements that “interfered with Tunisian internal affairs” during a Saturday protest against Saied in the port city of Sfax.

Tunisia’s General Labor Union, or UGTT, organized the demonstration to protest a crackdown on the increasingly authoritarian president’s political opponents and his critics in the media, judiciary, business community and trade unions.

In an address to the protesters, Lynch demanded the release of union leader Anis Kaabi, who was arrested by security forces last month.

She called on the Tunisian government to negotiate with the UGTT leadership and to improve the economy, which has teetered on the brink of bankruptcy amid political instability that deepened after a parliamentary election last month in which only 11% of voters cast ballots.

“By orders of the president, Tunisian authorities ordered Esther Lynch to leave the country within 24 hours, following statements made during the UGTT-led demonstration that interfered with Tunisian internal affairs,” said a statement by the Tunisian presidency that was posted on Twitter late Saturday.

The European Trade Union Confederation confirmed that Lynch left Tunisia on Sunday.

Saied won the presidency in a 2019 landslide on a promise to improve the country’s economy. Instead, the president appears determined to upend the country’s political system, threatening a democracy once seen as a model for the Arab world and sending the economy toward a tailspin.

In December, the International Monetary Fund froze an agreement on a $1.9 billion loan for Tunisia. The deeply indebted government needs the funds to pay UGTT-represented public sector salaries and to fill budget gaps aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from Russia’s war in Ukraine.

In recent months, Tunisians have been hit with soaring food prices and shortages of fuel and basic staples like sugar and vegetable oil.

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.

Share this @internewscast.com
You May Also Like

These have been the ‘luckiest’ Powerball numbers in the last 8 years

As the Powerball jackpot passes $1 billion, some players are wondering if…

Steve McQueen Calls ‘Occupied City’ A “Reminder Of What’s At Stake” In Current Political Climate As Holocaust Doc Screens At New York Film Festival  

Director Steve McQueen said his unusual four-hour Holocaust documentary shot in Amsterdam…

Last month was Britain's joint hottest September EVER, Met Office reveal – as forecasters predict UK will bask in sunshine with 'unusually warm' 77F set to hit in first week of October

Last month was provisionally the UK’s joint warmest September on record, the…

Two kids shot in Westside apartment were asleep in their beds at time of shooting

Sheriff T.K. Waters said during a press conference Wednesday that the children…

New national police intelligence unit to crackdown on shoplifters: Squad will finally treat crime on par with robbery, burglary and fraud as organised gangs plunder Britain's high streets, garden centres and even charity shops

Shoplifting will be treated as a ‘high-harm’ cross-border crime on par with…

Now anti-ULEZ warriors stage demo outside Sadiq Khan's house: Fuming drivers set up tents and signs outside Mayor's home amid mounting fury at expansion of much hated scheme

Now anti-ULEZ warriors stage demo outside Sadiq Khan’s house: Fuming drivers set…

Yes, you are still responsible for paying your student loans during a government shutdown

Student loan repayments will resume in October — and interest will continue…

DOMINIC LAWSON: Growth that outstrips France and Germany, and why the only polls that really matter offer a new hope to Rishi Sunak

As the Conservatives gather for what is almost certainly their last party…

PragerU Video on the Importance of Columbus Day Features Breitbart News Reporter Alana Mastrangelo

PragerU has published a video on the importance of Columbus Day featuring…

Yes, house flies can ‘wake up’ in the spring after staying dormant during cold weather

Have you been startled by a house fly who appeared to come…

US Marshals searching for Devonte Parker, wanted in connection with fatal shooting of 3-year-old in Cleveland

Parker is also wanted for his role in the death of Jalen…

VIDEO – Louisiana 6-Year-Old Rescues Family from Home Fire

A little girl in Winnsboro, Louisiana, is being praised for her heroism…