Tahar Berberi (far left) signs the agreement with the president of the employers' federation (second left) at the ministry of social affairs in Tunisia.

The Minister for Social Affairs (left) signs the agreement with union leader, Tahar Berberi.

The agreement will become part of Tunisian law.

Tunisian metalworkers’ strike results in salary increase

09.11.2017

Steadfast determination from IndustriALL Global Union’s affiliate in Tunisia has secured a pay rise for workers in the metal sector, following industrial action in September and the threat of further strike action later this month.

On 3 November 2017, at a meeting at the Ministry for Social Affairs in Tunisia, the employers' federation of the foundries and mechanical engineering sector signed a sectoral agreement with metalworkers' union FGME-UGTT and the government that will give workers a back-dated salary increase of6 per cent for the year 2016. The salary increase for 2017, due to be fixed last July will be fixed in January 2018.

In March 2017, the Head of Government in Tunisia, the President of the employers’ union and the general secretary of the trade union confederation, UGTT, signed a sector-wide agreement to increase salaries. Normally the accord is automatically signed by all the employers’ federations concerned. However, the employers’ federation of foundries and mechanical engineering refused to sign the agreement, which allows for an increase in wages in the private sector in Tunisia for the years 2016 and 2017.

This led FGME-UGTT, to hold a nationwide strike on 26 September 2017, which drew support of 90 per cent of workers in the sector. Following the lack of serious