Women's rights group ATFD demands urgent action as Tunisia's women's union leaves staff unpaid for two years
The Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD) called on Sunday for urgent government intervention in the crisis at the National Union of Tunisian Women (UNFT). UNFT's headquarters and remaining equipment have been seized to enforce old debt rulings. The union's central committee said on Saturday the seizure traces to a ruling by the labour chamber of Gafsa's court of first instance, now 14 years old, covering debts from 1987 to 2012, after the state subsidy that paid staff salaries was cut. Employees have gone without pay or social security coverage for two years. ATFD wants the offices reopened, regional activity resumed, and a full settlement that protects staff rights, and warns the dispute risks dismantling a civil society body at its employees' expense.