Tunisia’s powerful General Labour Union, the UGTT, has elected veteran education unionist Slaheddine Selmi as its new secretary-general, handing leadership of one of the country’s most influential institutions to a figure widely viewed as a consensus choice at a time of internal tension and strained ties with the government. Selmi, 67, was elected at the end of a tense congress held earlier than originally planned, a sign of the divisions that have shaken the organisation in recent months.
In his first remarks after the vote, reported Saturday, March 28, Selmi said his immediate priority would be to revive social dialogue with the government after months of rupture. He also pledged to strengthen transparency within the union and defend the UGTT’s independence from political pressure or instrumentalisation. Originally from Kairouan, Selmi built his career in the primary education union and previously served on the UGTT’s executive bureau, giving him deep familiarity with the confederation’s internal workings and making him acceptable to several competing tendencies inside the organisation.
Selmi succeeds Noureddine Tabboubi, who had led the UGTT since 2017 and remained one of the most prominent voices in Tunisian public life during years of political crisis and economic hardship. The leadership handover comes after a turbulent period for the union. Tabboubi had announced his resignation in late 2025 before stepping back from it in January, saying he was responding to the wishes of a majority on the union’s administrative council. Those episodes highlighted the depth of the internal disputes surrounding the timing of the congress and demands from critics for change at the top.
The UGTT remains a major force in Tunisia well beyond labour issues. With around one million members, it has long played a central political and social role, and in 2015 it shared the Nobel Peace Prize as part of the Tunisian National Dialogue Quartet, which was recognised for helping steer the country’s democratic transition after the 2011 uprising.
Selmi now takes office as the union faces two overlapping tests: healing its own internal fractures and redefining its relationship with President Kais Saied’s administration, which has been increasingly at odds with independent civic bodies. Last year, the UGTT led a major protest in Tunis demanding union rights and civic freedoms, underscoring how central the organisation remains to Tunisia’s contested political landscape.
