Abstract:
The Union Générale Tunisienne du Travail (UGTT) is the oldest and the most important trade union in Tunisia and for a long time it was also the only one in the country. The Union played an important role in the Tunisian political context since its founding in 1946 and moreover it took part in the riots that erupted in 2010.
Beginning in December 2010, Tunisian citizens used techniques of protests, resistance and intervention in a struggle for freedom from the system that had for decades denied them agency and dignity. Though this movement began spontaneously and operated without designated leadership, the role of the UGTT was vital in mobilizing and politicizing the uprising that will depose the authoritarian president Ben Ali after 23 years in power.
The UGTT was the central element in the 2011 uprising as a mediator with the Tunisian people. Currently, it plays a nonpartisan and objective political role as an intermediary of the state. This thesis traces the history of the union movement, from its founding during the colonial period to the government of Habib Bourguiba and Zine el Abidine Ben Ali. Finally, it focuses on the important political role that the UGTT played during the uprising and the process of democratic transition that followed the ouster of Ben Ali.
