NEW LABOR UNION STYMIED

C O N F I D E N T I A L TUNIS 000291 SIPDIS SIPDIS STATE FOR NEA/MAG - HOPKINS, HARRIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 03/04/2017 TAGS: ELAB KDEM PGOV TS SUBJECT: NEW LABOR UNION STYMIED REF: TUNIS 246 CLASSIFIED BY: AMBASSADOR ROBERT F. GODEC FOR REASONS 1.4 (B) AND (D) ¶1. (C) SUMMARY. A YEAR-LONG EFFORT TO CREATE A NEW LABOR CONFEDERATION APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BLOCKED BY THE GOT AND HAS GARNERED LITTLE SUPPORT FROM TUNISIAN CIVIL SOCIETY. IN MID-2006, FORMER GENERAL UNION OF TUNISIAN WORKERS (UGTT) ACTIVIST HABIB GUIZA BEGAN WORK TO ESTABLISH THE GENERAL TUNISIAN LABOR CONFEDERATION (CGTT). GUIZA SAID THE CGTT AIMED TO ORGANIZE WORKERS (PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND YOUTH) DISENCHANTED WITH THE UGTT, THE COUNTRY'S SOLE LABOR FEDERATION. ALTHOUGH GUIZA SAID THE GOT WAS INITIALLY SUPPORTIVE OF THE EFFORT, AND TUNISIAN LAW SUPPORTS UNION PLURALISM, THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR BANNED GUIZAS PLANNED FEBRUARY 1 PRESS CONFERENCE TO ANNOUNCE THE FORMATION OF THE CGTT. WITH GOT OPPOSITION AND LITTLE SUPPORT ELSEWHERE, THERE IS NO EVIDENCE GUIZA WILL ULTIMATELY BE SUCCESSFUL. END SUMMARY. ¶2. (C) IN MID-2006, FORMER GENERAL UNION OF TUNISIAN WORKERS (UGTT) ACTIVIST HABIB GUIZA APPROACHED EMBOFFS TO DRAW ATTENTION TO HIS EFFORTS TO FORM A NEW LABOR CONFEDERATION, THE GENERAL TUNISIAN LABOR CONFEDERATION (CGTT). (NOTE: CGTT IS THE NAME OF THE FIRST TUNISIAN LABOR ORGANIZATION, ESTABLISHED IN 1924. END NOTE.) GUIZA EXPLAINED THAT HE, AND APPROXIMATELY 500 OTHER LABOR ACTIVISTS, SOUGHT TO CREATE A MORE DYNAMIC AND INDEPENDENT TUNISIAN UNION. THE GROUP'S SLOGAN IS, "WE DON'T WANT A SECOND UNION, WE WANT A DIFFERENT UNION." GUIZA EXPLAINED THAT MANY BELIEVE THE UGTT, AND ITS "RETIRED" LEADERSHIP, IS OUT OF TOUCH WITH TUNISIAN WORKERS, PARTICULARLY WOMEN AND YOUTH. GUIZA STRESSED THAT THE CGTT IS NOT A POLITICAL PARTY, BUT IT SOUGHT TO BE A REAL PARTNER WITH INDEPENDENT TUNISIAN CIVIL SOCIETY ENTITIES. GUIZA WAS CONFIDENT THE CGTT WOULD BE FORMALLY ANNOUNCED IN DECEMBER 2006, AS HE HAD ALREADY INFORMED THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR POLITICAL AFFAIRS DEPARTMENT, WHOSE OFFICIALS HAD GIVEN HIM POSITIVE SIGNALS. (NOTE: THE MINISTRY OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT OVERSEES NGO ORGANIZATIONS AND ACTIVITIES. END NOTE.) ¶3. (C) AFTER EXTENSIVE CONSULTATION, PLANNING AND MANEUVERING, GUIZA ANNOUNCED IN LATE JANUARY THAT HE WOULD HOLD A PRESS CONFERENCE ON FEBRUARY 1 TO LAUNCH THE CGTT. HOWEVER, ON FEBRUARY 1, LOCAL MEDIA REPORTED THAT THE PRESS CONFERENCE HAD BEEN INEXPLICABLY CANCELED. GUIZA TOLD LABOFF ON FEBRUARY 13 THAT MINISTRY OF INTERIOR OFFICIALS HAD INSTRUCTED HIM BY PHONE NOT TO PROCEED WITH THE PRESS CONFERENCE. HE WAS THEN SUMMONED TO A POLICE STATION AND FORMALLY WARNED IN WRITING NOT TO HOLD THE CONFERENCE, ALTHOUGH HE WAS GIVEN NO JUSTIFICATION. UNDETERRED, GUIZA SAID HE TRIED TO DELIVER THE DOCUMENTATION RELATED TO THE FORMATION OF THE UNION TO THE GOVERNORATE OF TUNIS ON FEBRUARY 10, ONLY TO BE TOLD THAT THE RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL WAS ON LEAVE. (NOTE: TUNISIAN LABOR LAW STATES UNIONS MAY BE CREATED FREELY, BUT ESTABLISHMENT DOCUMENTS MUST BE DELIVERED TO THE GOVERNOR OF THE INVOLVED STATE. END NOTE.) GUIZA SAID HE PLANNED TO SEND THE DOCUMENTS BY MAIL, WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A DELIVERY SIGNATURE, AND THUS CONFORM TO THE NOTIFICATION PROCEDURE REQUIRED FOR UNION FORMATION. NOTING THAT US SUPPORT COULD BE COUNTERPRODUCTIVE TO HIS EFFORTS, GUIZA ASKED THAT THE EMBASSY SIMPLY CONTINUE TO ENCOURAGE THE GOT TO RESPECT FREEDOM OF ASSOCIATION. ¶4. (C) EVEN BEFORE GUIZA WAS WARNED, THE SYSTEM WAS BEGINNING TO WORK AGAINST GUIZA. ALTHOUGH UGTT SECRETARY GENERAL ABDESSALEM JERAD TOLD AMBASSADOR THE UNION SUPPORTS "PLURALISM" (REFTEL),THE UGTT WAS THE FIRST TO DENOUNCE GUIZA'S EFFORTS. SEVERAL SENIOR UGTT OFFICIALS PUBLICLY STATED THERE WAS NO NEED FOR A SECOND UNION, AS THE UGTT IS ALL-INCLUSIVE. OTHER INDEPENDENT OBSERVERS AND MEDIA REACHED THE SAME CONCLUSION AND QUESTIONED THE VALUE OF LABOR PLURALISM. ¶5. (C) COMMENT: ACCORDING TO THE TUNISIAN LABOR CODE, NOTIFICATION IS THE ONLY REQUIREMENT FOR ESTABLISHING A UNION. HOWEVER, TUNISIAN LAW IS OFTEN ARBITRARILY APPLIED AND ENFORCED IN SENSITIVE CASES. ALTHOUGH THE GOT TIGHTLY CONTROLS CIVIL SOCIETY, IN THIS CASE, THE POWER OF THE UGTT MAY HAVE SQUASHED GUIZA'S EFFORTS. ALTERNATIVELY, THE GOT MAY HAVE ENCOURAGED GUIZA TO KEEP THE UGTT IN CHECK DURING ITS DECEMBER 2006 CONGRESS. ONCE THE UGTT REELECTED GOT-LOYAL LEADERSHIP, GUIZAS OFFICIAL "APPROVAL" QUICKLY VANISHED. UNLUCKILY FOR GUIZA, MANY IN CIVIL SOCIETY DO NOT TRUST HIS "INDEPENDENCE" AND HAVE CHOSEN TO SUPPORT THE UGTT RATHER THAN A NOMINALLY INDEPENDENT UPSTART. EVEN US LABOR ENTITIES DOUBT HIS BONA FIDES. WITH THESE KINDS OF FRIENDS, WHO NEEDS ENEMIES? END COMMENT. GODEC