Affrontement à سومر Mateur après l’arrestation d’un syndicaliste – 16 février 2012

Police and Protesters Clash in Northern Tunisia Following the Arrest of Union Leader

tunisia-live.net

16 February 2012

Clashes between police and local residents erupted today in Mateur and Bizerte, following the arrest of Mohamed Monaem Darragi, Secretary-General of the Tunisian Workers’ Union (UTT). This recent wave of unrest in the northern governorate of Bizerte follows ongoing tensions at Mateur’s wiring plant, owned by the German Leoni corporation.

Throughout the past two weeks, Mateur has witnessed prolonged negotiations between Leoni management and segments of its Mateur-based workforce, represented by the UTT. The three-day closure of the Mateur-North section of the plant, from February 10-12, seemed to be the culmination of existing bad blood between the two sides.

However, on Monday the plant resumed production, giving the impression that the major points of contention between the two parties had been addressed during last week’s negotiations. The UTT had demanded the enactment of a pay structure that better represents seniority, as well as an end to the outsourcing of cleaning services in the plant, said Ali Dhawi, Assistant Secretary-General of the UTT. Though Leoni acquiesced to both requests, a third demand – that Darragi be granted a one-month leave – was rebuffed.

On Tuesday, Darragi was informed by his colleagues that he would be referred to Leoni’s disciplinary council for inciting violence and using corporation buses to take workers to Bizerte, where they subsequently protested in front of the governorate building.

In reaction to the reprimand, Darragi doused himself with gasoline on Tuesday night and threatened to light himself on fire. However, he was restrained before he was able to harm himself, and was later arrested. Sven Schmidt, press officer for Leoni’s worldwide operations, confirmed that Darragi was still in custody and had been questioned regarding the charges raised against him. Read more…