Tunisia union in crosshairs amid political stalemate

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Two months after Tunisia was roiled by a political assassination (its second since January), its largest labor union, the UGTT, has found itself in the crosshairs — presumably of the country’s ultraconservative Salafist extremists believed responsible for the deaths of opposition figures Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi. According to Tunisia’s Interior Ministry, “serious threats” single out the union leaders acting as the primary brokers in the current political crisis, in an effort to hinder reconciliation attempts.

Little wonder the union is under attack. In the wake of Brahmi’s July 25 assassination, Tunisia’s secular opposition, buoyed by public protests, demanded that the Islamist government, led by moderate party Ennahda, resign. In subsequent weeks, union leaders turned the tide for Tunisia’s then-inchoate opposition by providing them with needed leveraging power — i.e., the potential to further cripple Tunisia’s economy by calling on its some 50,000 members to go on strike. (Note that this is not the union’s first foray into politics: in the wake of President Zine el Abidine Ben Ali’s 2011 ouster, the UGTT sponsored strikes to protest Ennahda’s interim government.)

While the recent threats attest to the UGTT’s continued influence on Tunisia’s political landscape — and to Salafists’ desperation to avoid a secular regime if Ennahda is removed — their timing finds the union in a deadlock with the ruling party. Ennahda leaders have agreed to step down, but only once agreements on a draft constitution and guidelines for new elections are reached. Indeed, Ennahda has managed to forestall its removal from office for months by belaboring those points.

True, the UGTT announced Saturday that the government had fully accepted a transition plan, which would cede power to a yet-to-be-formed technocratic cabinet. The caveat being that such a transition can only occur after the debut of a formalized “national dialogue.” No date has been set yet.

Further clouding the issue, Ennahda party leader Rached Ghannouchi stated Monday: “the current government will not resign unless an alternative is ready.” He added, “We are open to all suggestions and we are still accepting the initiative as the foundation for the discussions.” His response is vague enough to disguise all manner of sins, namely to buy Ennahda more time. Leaving union leaders with the dual challenges of fielding threats from Tunisia’s most radical flank, and of outmaneuvering Ennahda, which is shaping up to be a strategically wise — and long-lived — opponent.