Union training for Tunisia's mine workers

After the first phase, in which 150 unionists from the southern cities of Mudayla, Metlawi, Umm al-Arais, Radif and Gafsa City were included, the programme has made significant progress. The next phase will include the main mining unions in the north.

On 17-18 September, IndustriALL, together with GTUM-UGTT and in coordination UGTT's training and cultural activities department, organized a national workshop on on promoting decent work.

In her opening address, Reem Hilal, the newly elected general secretary of GTUM-UGTT and the first woman to hold the position in the male dominated industry, stressed the importance of training and education in the mining sector, and thanked all contributors to the project and the participating unionists.

Leadership of IndustriALL mining affiliates from Morocco, Syndicat National des Travailleurs de Phosphates (SNTP-CDT) and Syndicat National d'Energie et des Mines (SNEM-CDT) participated in the workshop and expressed solidarity with their Tunisian counterparts, offering to run an exchange union program since mining unions in the region face similar challenges.

Said Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary:

"I congratulate the new union leadership and applaud the election of Reem Hilal as general secretary, an important progressive act. Miners face major health and safety problems while the sector is experiencing a decline in jobs due to the technical transition. This means that unions have to make efforts to train workers and facilitate their integration."

Ahmed Kamel, IndustriALL MENA regional seretary, congratulated the union leadership and reiterated IndustriALL's continued support to the sector and to develop the trade union work.

Mehdi Gatri, mining sector coordinator explained that the mining sector in Tunisia faces five major problems:

• A lack of health and safety provisions and the need for workers to travel for treatment
• Environmental pollution and its serious impact on workers' health, added to the government's and mining companies' total disregard for environmental and social responsibilities
• Global warming and its negative impact on working conditions
• Mechanization of the sector which leads to job losses and unemployment
• The government has not issued the statutes of the mining companies, which affects the situation workers

Sihem Bousta, UGTT assistant general secretary, for training and cultural activities said:

"Grassroots training in the mining sector will improve union performance and raise the status of workers. We thank the UGTT for this opportunity to extend training in the mining sector, which is undergoing major changes that can only be addressed through in-depth training."