Tunisia on Strike

Right now the biggest challenge to Kais Saied's rule isn't coming from his opponents in government. It's coming from the country's largest trade union. On Thursday, the UGTT organised a mass, public sector walkout, in response to the president's planned economic reforms. Flights were canceled, buses and trains were halted and government offices were closed. Saeid is in the midst of trying to raise funds to prevent the country's economic collapse, and in an attempt to secure a four billion dollar loan from the IMF, he froze public sector wages, and cut subsidies, causing unions to revolt. Ghaya Ben Mbarek Tunisian Journalist Youcef Bouandel Professor of Political Sciences at Qatar University Yasmine Akrimi North Africa Research Analyst at Brussels International Center