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23,000 Leoni workers in Tunisia receive record wage increase

22 September, 2021Workers at Leoni, one of Tunisia’s largest employers, will receive a retroactive wage increase of six per cent for 2020 and an 8.5 per cent increase for 2021. Unions in the country say the increase is the result of a mature and healthy social dialogue. 

The increase was announced at a signing ceremony on 17 September, attended by union representatives organizing the 23,000 workers at four different work sites in Tunisia.

Tahar Berberi, FGME-UGTT general secretary, says that the wage increase reflects the conducive social climate, based on a permanent dialogue between the various UGTT unions organizing workers at Leoni.

“The increase is important and will have an impact on the workers’ purchasing power in a generally difficult economic situation."

In 2017, Leoni workers in Egypt were able to join their Tunisian and Moroccan colleagues and organize a union representing the company’s workers at different sites, currently working on developing a dialogue with the company on the national level on social security, health care and pension systems.

During IndustriALL’s MENA Automotive Union Network meeting in 2019 in Casablanca, the Leoni MENA Union Network was launched. German union IG Metall supported the establishment and development of dialogue with the parent company in Germany. The network meets regularly, as well as with management in Germany, Tunisia, Morocco and Egypt.

At the Leoni MENA union network meeting next month, the future of the company and management’s plans to overcome the Covid-19 related financial crisis will be discussed.

"Thanks to a well-established social dialogue, the company succeeded in balancing development and sustainability while guaranteeing the rights of workers. Capital has a role in production, but the real and essential production power is a labour,”

said Noureddine Taboubi, UGTT general secretary.

Atle Høie, IndustriALL general secretary, said:

"Congratulations to the workers and our affiliate FGME-UGTT to an agreement that shows how far joint union action and a sound sound dialogue can reach.”

IndustriALL and Leoni signed a global framework agreement in 2012.