Tunisia: Miners demand investment in local infrastructure
Protests raged through the Tunisian city of Gafsa on 26 February, as civil society organisations and miners marched for better health services and infrastructure.
According to Middle East Monitor, hundreds gathered to demand the right for the region to receive a percentage of income from nearby phosphate mining activities, an old idea that has seen a revival in recent years.
Rabeh Al-Ahmadi, an activist in the NGO Tunisian Forum for Economic and Social Rights said: “This is an effective solution because morally, how can the past of a region that produces good things be better than its present?”
“The Tunisian General Labour Union and other organisations, such as the Tunisian League for the Defence of Human Rights and the Gafsa branch of the National Bar Association, called for the protests to demand Gafsa’s right to fair development and improvement of the health and educational situation, as its institutions are old and in need of rehabilitation.”
Gafsa and other cities in the region are the well-established centres of phosphate production in Tunisia, an industry that Kais Saied’s government often tout as the crown jewel of the country’s wealth.
However, experts believe miners and local citizens have seen little to no benefits of increased phosphate production, with protests often erupting over living conditions and workers rights.
During the protests, Secretary-General of the Gafsa Regional Labour Union told protesters that, “Today’s march brings us together to raise our voices loudly and demand our rights… We want a hospital that is worthy of our dignity, equipped with what can protect our lives, and we want safe roads conducive to the safety of our children.”
The demonstrations follow one of the largest strikes to date at a phosphate mine in December 2024, which were attended by 96 percent of the workforce.
According to Maghrebi.org, the protest lasted two days as workers for the Grafsa Phosphate Company called for wage increases in line with inflation rates.
Reem Hilal, secretary-general of the General Federation of Mines which falls under the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), said: “A strike is not an end but a means. When we submit demands to defend workers’ rights and adhere to legal deadlines for negotiations, yet receive no response from the authorities, the action becomes necessary.”
Middle East Monitor, Maghrebi.org
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