Tunis — Prime Minister Sarra Zaafrani Zenzri, in a circular issued, Thursday, called for ending the practice of placing employees at the disposal of trade union organisations, and for those benefiting from this arrangement to immediately return to their workplace.
She also stated that any permits previously granted for this purpose are null and void as of the date of issuance of this circular (No. 11), dated August 11, 2025.
In the circular addressed to ministers and secretaries of state, Zenzri called for the immediate start of compiling lists of staff in ministries and all public institutions, enterprises and structures under their supervision, at the central, regional, and local levels, who are placed at the disposal of trade union organisations, and to summon them to immediately return to their original workplaces.
She further instructed that the necessary administrative and legal measures be taken in cases of non-compliance with the provisions of this circular.
According to the circular, all permits related to trade union leave that were granted previously are considered null and void as of the date of issuance of this circular (August 11, 2025).
The circular stressed that assigning state and local government employees to trade union organisations under the title of trade union leave, while continuing to pay them from the budgets of their original entities and considering them as actively on duty, is an illegal practice not provided for in the Civil Service Statute or in the statutes governing public institutions and enterprises. It emphasised the need for strict compliance with applicable laws.
The circular considered that trade union leave granted by public bodies, whether central, regional, or local, amounts to granting financial and in-kind benefits to those not entitled to them, in clear violation of the legislation in force governing recruitment and the management of state, local government, and public institution employees.
It also noted that this practice burdens the budgets of these public entities.
The circular explained that the legislator has exclusively defined the legal statuses in which any public employee may be: active duty, non-active duty, secondment, or military service.
While there are guarantees and mechanisms for authorising a public employee to carry out activities outside their workplace and job under certain specific conditions set out in various legal texts, the prevailing practice has led to an increased recourse to placing employees at the disposal of trade union organisations.
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The Prime Minister noted that this measure has become an established practice for a specific category of employees, placing a financial and social burden on the original entity without these employees performing any work for it.
She pointed out that the High Authority for Administrative and Financial Control had confirmed in its recommendations that this practice constitutes mismanagement and harms the public interest, as the original entity bears the cost of salaries and social charges without receiving any productive work in return.
She affirmed that granting financial and in-kind benefits to certain employees without justification constitutes a clear violation of the laws and regulations in force and must be addressed immediately to ensure the proper functioning of public institutions, reviewing the various legislative texts currently in force in this regard.
