General Strike by Bankers: A Misguided Move
The two-day general strike observed by bankers, amidst a deafening silence from the UGTT leadership and an atmosphere of disapproval from Tunisians, warrants analysis from various angles. The most significant aspect is the unfortunate rift between certain minority elites and the culture of militancy, which is daily anchored by the Head of State.
If this derailment has any merit, it is that it once again reveals the solidity of the trust capital between the President of the Republic and the Tunisian people. Despite the banks being closed, Tunisian cities did not record any signs of discontent, protest, or violence.
A Question of Priorities
When a banker earns over 3,000 dinars as a monthly salary, in addition to 18 months of annual salary and a production bonus, even if they have not produced anything or their performance is not up to expectations, and they still go on strike for two days, blocking the entire national economic machine, one is entitled to wonder where our banking elite is headed in this time of proven financial hardship.
Especially since the salary increase demanded by the bankers is already included in the draft finance law for 2026. However, the banking unionists do not want the increase to be included in the draft law and instead demand to be associated with or engage in separate negotiations with their banks, outside of the government-decided increases.
This amounts to saying that they want a special status that allows them to behave as negotiators who do not even accept interventions or advice from the executive bureau of the Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT).
A Comparison of Salaries
In any case, Tunisians, who followed the bankers' strike with astonishment and surprise, are wondering why they are behaving in this manner. Especially since the salaries paid to them, even to interns, far exceed the remuneration of doctors working in public hospitals, who are responsible for the life and death of citizens.
Moreover, these bankers do not listen to the messages of the President of the Republic and his commitment to opening all possible avenues so that our executives can actively participate in building the new Tunisia by embracing the militant culture advocated by the salvation process of July 25, 2021.
A Call to Patriotism
This process - which we will never tire of repeating - considers that all Tunisians, particularly executives and competencies, have the absolute duty to contribute voluntarily and without waiting for personal rewards to the consecration of what is now commonly accepted by patriots, namely economic sovereignty and Tunisia's ability to fly on its own wings thanks to the contribution of its competencies.
Those who - deserve to be paid a well-deserved tribute - have refused to succumb to temptations and have preferred to stay in the country to assume their share of responsibility in its economic takeoff and also to lead, to safe harbor, its march towards progress and prosperity, with equitably shared dividends among all social strata and professional specialties.
A Commitment to Progress
Moreover, the number of recruitments planned in the next state budget, and the government's renewed commitment, under the direct impetus of the Head of State, to complete the final integration process of temporary teachers and to recruit several hundred unemployed doctoral holders, shows that the social takeoff movement is on the right track, even if it still encounters difficulties.
These difficulties are often due to the incompetence of certain officials who are still self-blocked in past practices or - let's have the courage to say it - acting on behalf of the forces of inertia and return to the past.
