TUNISIAN JOURNALISTS UNION ONE STEP CLOSER TO

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 002844

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

STATE FOR NEA/MAG - HARRIS, NEA/PPD - FERNANDEZ AND DRL/IL

E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/04/2016
TAGS: ELAB KPAO KDEM TS
SUBJECT: TUNISIAN JOURNALISTS UNION ONE STEP CLOSER TO
OPERATION

REF: TUNIS 2661

Classified By: CHARGE D'AFFAIRES a.i. DAVID BALLARD FOR REASONS 1.4 (b)
AND (d)


1. (C) SUMMARY. The Tunisian Journalists' Union (SJT, not
authorized by the GOT) has begun coordinating with the
General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) to establish a
journalists' union under the rubric of the UGTT. The SJT,
led by al-Jazeera correspondent and opposition activist Lotfi
Hajji, hopes to establish a professional union that will
demand greater freedom of speech and protection for
independent journalists. Likely due to these goals, the
union's activities have been blocked by the GOT for almost
three years. The alliance with the UGTT, whose leadership is
widely believed to under the influence of the GOT, is a risky
proposition for SJT members, who are independent voices in
the lackluster domestic media environment. SJT leadership
knows this and plans to pull out if the move threatens the
organization's independence. END SUMMARY.


2. (C) On November 28, the sole Tunisian labor confederation,
the General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT) announced the
formation of a provisional committee to prepare for the
establishment of the Tunisian Journalists' Union (SJT). The
160-member SJT, founded in 2004 by Tunisian journalist Lotfi
Hajji, is currently not considered legal although Tunisian
law allows for the establishment of a professional union
without registration. Hajji's own situation is likely a main
cause of its past problems. Hajji is the Tunisian
correspondent for al-Jazeera, which is not allowed to operate
in Tunisia, and a member of the 18 October Committee, a
disparate group of opposition political leaders and activists
promoting freedom of expression, association, and amnesty for
political prisoners (reftel). As a result, the GOT has
declined to renew Hajji's professional identification card
since 2004. Further, UGTT Assistant Secretary General
Mohammed Trabelsi told LabOff that Hajji's reputation as an
Islamist and a labor activist with political aims contributed
to the SJT's limitations. (NOTE: In Tunisia, "Islamist" has
a strong negative connotation and is a descriptor often used
to discredit oppositionists of almost any stripe. END NOTE.)


3. (C) The UGTT announcement that it will work with the SJT,
including Hajji, to establish a journalists' union is a major
step, particularly as the SJT has a specific focus on
increasing freedom of expression and protecting independent
journalists. While the UGTT currently includes an
"Information Union," whose membership consists of all media
employees, from newspaper printers to drivers and
journalists, it has never had a journalists' union component.
Trabelsi told LabOff over a year ago that it was considering
establishing a separate journalists union, if those
journalists in the Information Union supported such a move.
UGTT support for Tunisian unions is essential to their
survival, as it is the only civil society organization with
sufficient power to disagree with the GOT. For example, the
UGTT-owned Hotel Amilcar in a Tunis suburb is one of the only
facilities in which legal opposition parties can hold
meetings and conferences. Despite this independence,
however, it is widely believed that the UGTT is reined in by
a leadership that works closely with the Ben Ali regime.


4. (C) On December 1, SJT founder Lotfi Hajji told PolOff and
LabOff that the UGTT announcement appears to be the result of
SJT lobbying with the International Labor Organization (ILO)
and the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
(ICFTU, now the International Trade Union Confederation).
Hajji said that at the SJT's urging, the ICFTU asked the UGTT
why it did not include a journalists' union, while the ILO
pressed the GOT to respect international labor rights. Hajji
surmised that this pressure likely led the GOT to ask the
UGTT to find a solution for the SJT that would put an end to
international labor interest in the SJT's situation.


5. (C) Further, if the SJT is part of the UGTT, the latter
may be able to exercise some control over its independence.
Hajji told EmbOffs that there was significant debate among
SJT members about the practicality of working with the UGTT.
The SJT "will lose a little or perhaps a lot of its
independence," said Hajji, but at the same time the UGTT will
give the members courage and power. If the UGTT plays its
traditional role in protecting labor rights, the result will
be good for journalists, and Hajji noted that some
UGTT-affiliated unions continue to be independent. However,
Hajji added that SJT members, including him, could always
leave the UGTT if too much independence is lost. Further,
Hajji said the SJT must take a chance at legitimacy, so that
it does not end up marginalized and ineffective like other
unregistered civil society entities.



6. (C) Hajji explained that the real work of establishing the
journalists' union would begin after the mid-December UGTT
Congress, which will include the election of UGTT leadership
(septel). Then the six UGTT and SJT organizing committee
members will begin discussions about establishing the union.
Hajji said he remains concerned about the future of a
journalists' union in a country where the authorities have
been manipulating the journalistic profession for years.
Hajji said that the GOT has been "infecting" the media corps,
so that today's "real" journalists were yesterday's
policemen. Therefore, Hajji added, it's no wonder that so
many Tunisian journalists jump at the opportunity to work
outside of Tunisia.


7. (C) COMMENT. The establishment of a truly independent
legal journalists' union could be a significant step towards
increased freedom of expression in Tunisia. However,
historically, the GOT has seized every opportunity to prevent
independent organizations from gaining domestic support or
legitimacy. The long-term impact of the journalists' union
is likely to be determined by the willingness of the UGTT to
offer it consistent support. Unfortunately, the UGTT has an
inconsistent record on backing true union and NGO
independence, even as the GOT's efforts to control civil
society continue to evolve and expand. END COMMENT.
BALLARD