14 January 2013: Signature of a new “social contract”

Following the political crisis associated with the assassination of Chokri Belaid and Mohamed Brahmi (2013), the constituent assembly suspended its work. A “national dialogue” held by a quartet of trade unions and civil society organisations (UGTT – UTICA – LTDH – National Order of Lawyers) led to a new social contract focused on democratic governance, employment, and social protection reforms, as well as economic development policies targeting marginalised regions of the country. This process was largely sponsored and followed by the International Labour Organization (ILO). The Tunisian “national dialogue” quartet was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2015. In terms of social protection, the social contract stipulates that the social security system and its various schemes should be completely revised. The stakeholders also committed to establish better governance in the management of social funds, to preserve financial balances, and to sustain social security systems and guarantees.