"Social protection cannot be guaranteed without transparent social dialogue within the tripartite commission on social protection, which brings together representatives of the government, trade unions and employers' organisations," Deputy Secretary General of the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), in charge of social protection and the informal sector, Othmane Jallouli said on Tuesday. At a press conference on "the reality of social protection in a period of stalled social dialogue," held at the Arab Maghreb Workers' Union seat, Jallouli pointed out that the social protection issue should be managed through social dialogue, stating that "the UGTT's social protection department called for an increase in the minimum wage, across all categories, given that 75% of pensions are below this wage." "The Finance Law 2024 contradicts everything that was agreed upon within the Social Dialogue Commission," he indicated, denouncing the inconsistency between the measures taken and the texts published by the various s tructures involved in social protection. Jallouli pointed out that the tax system had not encouraged workers in the informal sector and the self-employed to join the social protection system, even though this could generate large amounts of financial revenue that could support the budgets of the social funds. He also deplored the fact that the Social Affairs Ministry had resorted to making decisions regarding the social funds without consulting the tripartite commission, accusing it of intending to turn the funds into financial institutions. The UGTT Deputy General Secretary called on the Social Affairs Ministry to focus on its social role. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse