Transport strike in Tunisia adds to pressure on president

By Tarek Amara

TUNIS(Reuters) -A strike halted transport services across Tunisia on Wednesday, as workers demanded higher wages, improved working conditions and urgent reforms, adding to pressure on President Kais Saied to deal with a deepening economic crisis.

Tunisians have for years endured poor public services, especially in the health, transportation, and education sectors, due to weak funding and public investment, along with frequent interruptions in drinking water and electricity supply.

Saied, who has tightened his grip on power since 2021, blames what he calls conspirators seeking to undermine the state and fuel social tensions.

The UGTT union's three-day strike disrupted daily life in both major cities and rural areas.

Metro stations in Tunis were deserted and buses at a standstill forcing commuters to use private cars, taxis and unlicensed motorcycle taxis.

“We are suffering. There is no transportation, no jobs for us, and everything is getting more expensive and worse,” said a young man named Ayman Amiri, in the capital, as he waited in vain at a bus stop.

The transport union, which said the strike was 100% successful on its first day, said the transport sector was collapsing.

The Ministry of Transport said the union's financial demands were unfair and could not be met until the revenues of public transport companies improved. It also said the purchase of hundreds of buses from China and Europe over recent months would improve services.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara; editing by Barbara Lewis)

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