Those who want to drag us into conflicts and divert the attention of Tunisians and the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT) from the real problems are deluding themselves," UGTT Secretary-General, Noureddine Taboubi said on Thursday in response to the appearance of a number of trade unionists before the Court of First Instance in Sfax. He added at the opening of the UGTT's Extraordinary Steering Committee meeting in Hammamet: "the UGTT has opted for a clear approach and knows how to defend itself by all legal and legitimate means". Taboubi pointed out that the Sfax region, a bastion of trade union activity, had been targeted, as shown by the continuation of practices aimed at provoking the trade union centre. He noted that these 'futile practices' could only strengthen solidarity and cohesion within the UGTT and encourage trade unionists to fight for the supreme interest of the country. For his part, Sami Tahiri pointed out in a statement to TAP that the extraordinary steering committee had been convened following the appearance in court of a number of trade unionists, including Youssef Aouedni, General Secretary of the URT in Sfax, pointing out that the case had been dismissed by the Court of First Instance in Sfax1 after a hearing that lasted more than seven hours. "The lawsuits against trade union leaders and the continued detention without trial of Anis Kaabi since January 2023 are practices aimed at destabilising trade unionists," he said. "Within the UGTT, we are convinced that our organisation is being targeted by the various lawsuits against its leaders in order to divert attention from the real problems, such as the issues of subsidy, state enterprises, foreign debt, state budget, poverty, unemployment and rising prices," Tahri said. He added that the union had prepared a full dossier on the violations and excesses that have affected numerous provisions contained in international conventions and in the Constitution, which enshrines freedom of trade union action and the right to strike. This dossi er will be submitted to the International Labour Organisation's (ILO) Committee on Freedoms for inclusion in the work of next year's conference, which will be held from May 27 to June 15, he added. Source: EN - Agence Tunis Afrique Presse