Legacy Trade Unions as Brokers of Democratization? Lessons from Tunisia

Abstract

The Tunisian General Labor Union (UGTT) emerged as a major player in the country's transition from authoritarianism. Existing explanations - focusing on authoritarian legacies, the degree of trade union autonomy from the state, and labor's material incentives to support democratization - do not sufficiently account for the high-profile nature of the union's political role in Tunisia's transition. Instead, as this article argues, the importance of unions' pre-authoritarian legacy is key to understanding the role of unions in the transition from authoritarian rule. If unions enter the regime formation stage with a history of political struggle and with strong organizational capacities, they are more likely to develop a degree of internal autonomy that makes it difficult for authoritarian incumbents to disempower them. The article employs a historical institutional approach and draws on fieldwork and interviews with labor activists in Tunisia.

Mobilizing within and beyond the Labor Union: A Case of Precarious Workers’ Collective Actions in North Africa

“…What can be inferred from the workers’ perception of the UGTT is that it was not unionists’ material interest alone that determined their relationship to precarious workers. One could argue that the UGTT’s “institutional identity tied to broader struggles” (Bishara 2020: 191) played out in the post-2011 context to counterbalance what it perceived as an increasing threat of extremism linked to political Islamic forces. The UGTT’s secular position and attempt to counter Islamic extremism conditioned its relationship to the site workers’ movement.…”

Conflicting Imperatives? Ethnonationalism and Neoliberalism in Industrial Relations

“…Trade unions have been key actors in struggles for increasing workers' collective access to rights and promoting other forms of political activism and political citizenship (Baccaro, Benassi and Meardi 2019;Bishara 2020;Fick 2009;Gumbrell-McCormick and Hyman 2019;Hyman 2016;Nicholls 2013;Turner, Ryan and O'Sullivan 2020;Wagner and Lillie 2014).…”

Popular support for military intervention and anti-establishment alternatives in Tunisia: Appraising outsider eclecticism

“…Boasting over 600,000 members, the UGTT is the largest and most organized civil society organization in Tunisia. Despite its status as a 'legacy union', 'allied with the previous authoritarian regime that survive[s] in the democratic era' (Caraway et al, 2015, p. 14), the UGTT emerged as a key player in the transition from authoritarian rule (Bishara, 2020). Following pressure from the regional and sectoral unions, the UGTT's leadership supported anti-Ben Ali protests, and regional unions played a central role in Ben Ali's ouster (Langohr, 2014;Yousfi, 2018).…”

“…In 2015, the UGTT, along with three other civil society organizations, won the Nobel Peace Prize for its contribution to peaceful democracy-building following Ben Ali's ouster in 2011. Posturing as a power broker, the union mediated conflict between competing political parties at a critical juncture in the country's transition (Bishara, 2020;Yousfi, 2018). Today, the UGTT remains highly engaged politically, if not electorally.…”