Unemployed PhDs on a hunger strike over their plight

Jobless PhD graduates have gone on a hunger strike and are calling for a sit-in on 31 March in response to police action during a previous protest at the premises of the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research about a policy that is preventing universities from employing them.

Video clips and photos about the health situation of hunger strikers have been circulating on social media.

In the meantime, the ministry and representatives of the group are in disagreement over the progress and substance of negotiations over the matter.

The ministry said a plan had been negotiated, but the protesters stated that talks were taking place in bad faith and had not yet been finalised.

Manal Al-Salmi, representing the Union for Unemployed Graduates (UUG), said to the Attessia television channel on 29 March: “The ministry rejects dialogue amid the current catastrophic health situation of the hunger strikers. We will not stop our sit-in.”

Amid the war of words, support for the PhD protesters is growing.

The Global Young Leaders Organization said in a statement the protest of the UUG was about rights, not privileges, and that they (the protesters) were rejecting cosmetic solutions to the problem.

Solidarity statements also came from the Union of Tunisian University Teachers and Researchers, the General Tunisian Union of Students and the higher education and scientific research syndicate, which focuses on defending the rights of university staff as well as working on advancing national higher education and scientific research systems.

Several video clips and photos of the 24 March police attacks on jobless graduates were also posted on social media.

Response from ministry

The ministry issued a statement on 25 March saying that the protests were not justified as there were negotiations and an agreed upon roadmap was being implemented.

But there appears to be disagreement over the process followed. The UUG said in response to the statement, in its own media release on 26 March, that the negotiation process was not concluded and a binding agreement on the way forward had not been reached.

Expanding further, Chaker Briki, a researcher at the National School of Engineers at the University of Monastir, Tunisia, told University World News via Facebook messenger that the “peaceful sit-in and protests” continued because the negotiations had failed.

Najmuddin Juweidah, the general coordinator of the Union of Tunisian University Teachers and Researchers, agreed. He told University World News that the ministry could not be trusted.

Mohamed Arkoun, a graduate of the National School of Engineers of Sfax, Tunisia, shared these perspectives. He said to University World News via Facebook messenger that the misinformation in the statement simply deepened the discontent of the protesters and their supporters.

Demands

According to Arkoun, the provisional agreement reached between the government and the Tunisian General Labour Union regarding the unemployed PhD holders’ dilemma was a positive step, but needed further clarification.

In the meantime, Arkoun called for an end to, the “unjustified repression exercised against helpless PhD holders and researchers, who are supposed to be a source of pride”.

“We call on the presidency of the government to listen to the legitimate demands of the PhD holders and researchers and to respect their fundamental right to work and dignity … and to search for urgent solutions and appropriate ways to ensure their implementation,” Arkoun added.

He also called on the ministry to speed up the implementation of previous pledges before the end of the current academic year, for which a clear date has not been set, due to the impact of COVID-19.

Arkoun said speeding up implementation was an essential step towards reforming the system of higher education and scientific research, and to ensure it took up its place in the development of Tunisia.