Mass arrests in Tunisia

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400 officials and militants of the Tunisian UGT have noW been wrested by the Bourguiba government.

This move by the one-party state followed the rational general strike on 26 lanuary.

The strike-the first of its tind since independence from French colonial rule in 1956 -was termed by the UGT fadership a 'warning' to the ruling Destour Socialist Party.

The warning was answered by troops and the police. As the strike developed into treet fighting, at least 40 people were killed and 300 nore injured.

Massive pressure

Curfew was imposed, and troops occupied the UGT teadquarters in Tunis. Habib Achour, general secretary, and the other bureaucrats at the head of the anion were driven to organise this action by the massive ressure from workers which as built up over the last few months.

A series of strikes for Higher wages had met with Increasing attacks from the zovernment, and token gestures of support from Achour and his companions. But while Bourguiba and his ministers ranted about "deviationism' , they sent in their troops to break up the strikes, and instructed the party i litia to attack union offices in the major towns.

Militant layers

The police protected these thugs of the state before moring in to assault the demonstrators who had gathered in Tunis to support ibe union's independence From the state.

These 1,000 workers, mostly youth, represented Ibe militant layers who have cen demanding that the UGT break completely from the DSP.

Achour has responded to their calls for an independent workers' party by criticising the 'methods' of the DSP, but insisting at the same time that talks to reach a compromise should continue.

In reality, only one 'compromise' will be acceptable to the Bonapartist government which serves the Tunisian bourgeoisie: the complete subjection of the workers' struggles and organisations.

Thirteen years ago, in the last major upsurge of proletarian militancy in Tunisia, Achour was arrested for criticising the government's wage freeze and its attempts to control the union.

Whatever his role may have been then, it is clear that the UGT's general-secretary is now a major obstacle to the development of the present struggles.

Wage control is still in operation, and the DSP is seeking to suppress the union by installing judges to control its internal elections-as 'neutral figures'! If this fails, there are already plans to split the union so as to isolate the militants in illegality.

Within all these conflicts, Achour is hoping to exploit the movement of the working class so as to secure his rise to power in the faction fight to succeed the dying President Bourguiba.

Achour's other main base is the support he receives from the Gaddafi dictatorship in neighbouring Libya. To substitute this "left' opportunist for the present regime would be no advance for the Tunisian masses.