Tunisia Proud of its Achievements, Celebrates Labor Day
8 May 2008
Read by 1726 persons
TUNIS - Tunisia celebrates, Friday, May 1st, with the international community, Labor Day, in homage to the value of work and as a sign of consideration for the contribution of workers to the achievement of development and well-being.
The festivities coincide this year with Tunisia's classification by the International Labor Office, during the 304th session of the administrative council of the Arab Labor Organization, in the first Arab and African rank among the top thirty countries worldwide in terms of guaranteed minimum wages.
A testament to the soundness of the wage policy adopted since the Change, based on the State's effort to equitably redistribute wealth and on the reconciliation between improving the worker's purchasing power and taking into account the capacities of the production company and the national economy. Thus, the focus has been on promoting professional relations within a framework guaranteeing the rights of workers and ensuring the consolidation of company competitiveness, as well as modernizing employment legislation to adapt it to the requirements of economic and social development and bring it into compliance with international legislation.
In this regard, several measures and provisions have been taken to strengthen contractual policy and social dialogue, improve the purchasing power of employees, particularly those with low incomes, extend social coverage to different categories of employees, strengthen equal opportunities at work between men and women, and respect health and safety standards at work.
These various reforms are particularly important insofar as they make it possible to address the social repercussions of the global economic and financial crisis. In this sense, social negotiations are the best illustration of dialogue between social partners at the national and sectoral levels within the company. The year 2008 was marked by a new round, the 7th since 1990, of social negotiations in the public and private sectors, in realization of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's will to protect the purchasing power of workers and improve the conditions of employees.
These various rounds of social negotiations have led to increases in the salaries of workers paid the SMIG and SMAG 27 times since 1987 in various sectors of activity. Thus, the guaranteed minimum industrial wage has increased by 140%, while the guaranteed minimum agricultural wage has increased by 154%. This desire to improve the conditions of employees is reflected in the evolution of sectoral collective agreements, the number of which is currently 51 agreements covering approximately 2.5 million workers in the non-agricultural sectors governed by the Labor Code, in addition to the regular revision of sectoral collective agreements every three years since 1990.
Also, in order to preserve the company and guarantee the permanence of work, attention has been paid to reorganizing dialogue within the company in order to make it more efficient and effective. The company is the privileged space for examining issues related to the world of production. In this framework, numerous advisory councils and committees have been created, such as the National Council for the Prevention of Occupational Risks and the Higher Council for the Development of Human Resources, with a view to strengthening complementarity between education, vocational training, and employment. In addition, regional units for the promotion of social dialogue and business support have been set up to ensure the monitoring of dialogue structures within the company.
On the other hand, the achievements of social security that have been made for the benefit of all Tunisians, of all categories, are a source of pride and constitute a motivation to move forward in improving the coverage rate, which reached 93% in 2008 and should be increased to 95% by the end of 2009. Women's rights in the field of employment legislation have, for their part, been strengthened through their protection and the consecration of equality with men at work, which is expressly stipulated in the Labor Code, based on the principle of non-discrimination between the two genders.
Children's rights have also been strengthened in the field of work through measures and provisions that limit the minimum working age of children to 16 years in order to prevent them from early work and economic exploitation. Also, in order to guarantee equal opportunities between all categories of society, a specific program aimed at encouraging companies to recruit young people from underprivileged families has been implemented on the instructions of the President of the Republic.
This program will allow this category to benefit from permanent employment. The presidential program for the employment of young people from underprivileged families embodies the social and solidarity-based policy, insofar as it also includes integration through vocational training that opens the way for recruitment in the public and private sectors or starting their own project.
Employment is ranked first among the priorities of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's electoral program and constitutes a major challenge that Tunisia is striving to meet by mobilizing all its resources, based on the conviction that it represents one of the foundations of human rights and the dignity of the individual. The new restructuring of the active employment policy, decided by the Head of State on January 2, 2009, opens up better integration prospects for job seekers of different levels of education and training in private companies, targeting categories with particular difficulties in integration. Particular attention has also been paid to the employment of people with disabilities. Several initiatives have been taken to facilitate their recruitment in public and private companies. In this context, 1% of all recruitments in ministries has been prioritized for people with disabilities. 381 people with disabilities were recruited in this context by the civil service in 2008.
Furthermore, the occupational health and safety sector also benefits from particular attention through the creation of specialized structures, the implementation of incentive measures, the conduct of studies and research, the organization of awareness campaigns, and the dissemination of a preventive culture. The coverage rate of the workforce by occupational medicine has reached 40% in the sectors covered by the labor code, bringing the number of beneficiaries to 616,220 employees in 2008 compared to 585,817 in 2007.
In consecration of workers' rights, Tunisia has ratified 58 international conventions, including eight relating to the strengthening of fundamental rights at work. It has also adopted the concept of decent work and honored its commitments to achieving the objectives set by the International Labor Organization for the consecration of peace and social justice.
Efforts are also focused on preserving jobs despite the global economic crisis, through the implementation of several measures to support economic companies and avoid a slowdown in their activities. These measures include, in particular, the State's assumption of half of the company's social charges.
Prizes are awarded each year to employees who have distinguished themselves in the workplace, in consideration of effort and merit. The success of the Tunisian experience reflects the importance of the achievements made in the social field thanks to a coherent approach based on the correlation between social and economic dimensions, the rooting of the culture of solidarity, dialogue, and cohesion among citizens.
The festivities coincide this year with Tunisia's classification by the International Labor Office, during the 304th session of the administrative council of the Arab Labor Organization, in the first Arab and African rank among the top thirty countries worldwide in terms of guaranteed minimum wages.
A testament to the soundness of the wage policy adopted since the Change, based on the State's effort to equitably redistribute wealth and on the reconciliation between improving the worker's purchasing power and taking into account the capacities of the production company and the national economy. Thus, the focus has been on promoting professional relations within a framework guaranteeing the rights of workers and ensuring the consolidation of company competitiveness, as well as modernizing employment legislation to adapt it to the requirements of economic and social development and bring it into compliance with international legislation.
In this regard, several measures and provisions have been taken to strengthen contractual policy and social dialogue, improve the purchasing power of employees, particularly those with low incomes, extend social coverage to different categories of employees, strengthen equal opportunities at work between men and women, and respect health and safety standards at work.
These various reforms are particularly important insofar as they make it possible to address the social repercussions of the global economic and financial crisis. In this sense, social negotiations are the best illustration of dialogue between social partners at the national and sectoral levels within the company. The year 2008 was marked by a new round, the 7th since 1990, of social negotiations in the public and private sectors, in realization of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's will to protect the purchasing power of workers and improve the conditions of employees.
These various rounds of social negotiations have led to increases in the salaries of workers paid the SMIG and SMAG 27 times since 1987 in various sectors of activity. Thus, the guaranteed minimum industrial wage has increased by 140%, while the guaranteed minimum agricultural wage has increased by 154%. This desire to improve the conditions of employees is reflected in the evolution of sectoral collective agreements, the number of which is currently 51 agreements covering approximately 2.5 million workers in the non-agricultural sectors governed by the Labor Code, in addition to the regular revision of sectoral collective agreements every three years since 1990.
Also, in order to preserve the company and guarantee the permanence of work, attention has been paid to reorganizing dialogue within the company in order to make it more efficient and effective. The company is the privileged space for examining issues related to the world of production. In this framework, numerous advisory councils and committees have been created, such as the National Council for the Prevention of Occupational Risks and the Higher Council for the Development of Human Resources, with a view to strengthening complementarity between education, vocational training, and employment. In addition, regional units for the promotion of social dialogue and business support have been set up to ensure the monitoring of dialogue structures within the company.
On the other hand, the achievements of social security that have been made for the benefit of all Tunisians, of all categories, are a source of pride and constitute a motivation to move forward in improving the coverage rate, which reached 93% in 2008 and should be increased to 95% by the end of 2009. Women's rights in the field of employment legislation have, for their part, been strengthened through their protection and the consecration of equality with men at work, which is expressly stipulated in the Labor Code, based on the principle of non-discrimination between the two genders.
Children's rights have also been strengthened in the field of work through measures and provisions that limit the minimum working age of children to 16 years in order to prevent them from early work and economic exploitation. Also, in order to guarantee equal opportunities between all categories of society, a specific program aimed at encouraging companies to recruit young people from underprivileged families has been implemented on the instructions of the President of the Republic.
This program will allow this category to benefit from permanent employment. The presidential program for the employment of young people from underprivileged families embodies the social and solidarity-based policy, insofar as it also includes integration through vocational training that opens the way for recruitment in the public and private sectors or starting their own project.
Employment is ranked first among the priorities of President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali's electoral program and constitutes a major challenge that Tunisia is striving to meet by mobilizing all its resources, based on the conviction that it represents one of the foundations of human rights and the dignity of the individual. The new restructuring of the active employment policy, decided by the Head of State on January 2, 2009, opens up better integration prospects for job seekers of different levels of education and training in private companies, targeting categories with particular difficulties in integration. Particular attention has also been paid to the employment of people with disabilities. Several initiatives have been taken to facilitate their recruitment in public and private companies. In this context, 1% of all recruitments in ministries has been prioritized for people with disabilities. 381 people with disabilities were recruited in this context by the civil service in 2008.
Furthermore, the occupational health and safety sector also benefits from particular attention through the creation of specialized structures, the implementation of incentive measures, the conduct of studies and research, the organization of awareness campaigns, and the dissemination of a preventive culture. The coverage rate of the workforce by occupational medicine has reached 40% in the sectors covered by the labor code, bringing the number of beneficiaries to 616,220 employees in 2008 compared to 585,817 in 2007.
In consecration of workers' rights, Tunisia has ratified 58 international conventions, including eight relating to the strengthening of fundamental rights at work. It has also adopted the concept of decent work and honored its commitments to achieving the objectives set by the International Labor Organization for the consecration of peace and social justice.
Efforts are also focused on preserving jobs despite the global economic crisis, through the implementation of several measures to support economic companies and avoid a slowdown in their activities. These measures include, in particular, the State's assumption of half of the company's social charges.
Prizes are awarded each year to employees who have distinguished themselves in the workplace, in consideration of effort and merit. The success of the Tunisian experience reflects the importance of the achievements made in the social field thanks to a coherent approach based on the correlation between social and economic dimensions, the rooting of the culture of solidarity, dialogue, and cohesion among citizens.
