Mohamed Ali Hammi (1896-1928)

The precursor : Father of the Tunisian trade unionist movement, he was born in 1890 in the village Al Hamma, near Gabes, in the south of Tunisia.

He studies in Germany where he got his diploma in political and economic sciences.

When he came back to Tunisia in 1923, he founded the first trade unionist organization in 1924 and which was called ‘’the General confederation of Tunisian workers’’ CGTT.

The colonial authorities were hostile to him since the beginning and judged him in 1925 to 20 years of prison.

A few months later, they allowed him to go in exile in Saudi Arabia where he died in 1928 in a car accident.

Tahar Haddad (1899-1935)

Precursor of the liberty of women : Tahar Haddad was born on the 4th of December 1899 and started struggling against colonialism since he was young.

He knew about the situation of the Tunisian workers in comparison to their European counterparts and of the number of strikes which started everywhere in the country.

He joined his friend Mohamed Ali Hammi to create mutual benefit societies in order to help all the workers around the country.

This took place before they founded the General Confederation of Tunisian Workers.

In 1927, he published his first book entitled ‘’ Tunisian workers and the appearance of the trade unions ‘’. He exposed the wealth of the first trade unionist experience towards colonialism.

Three years later, he published a book, which had the effect of a bomb on the conservative and hostile environments. In this book, he treated the question of the freedom of women.

The colonial authorities as well as the local reactioning forces came against him with all their power, they criticized his book, burned them. He died in 1935.

Belgacem Gnaoui (1907-1987)

The initiator of the second CGTT : Belgacem Gnaoui was born in 1907 in Metouia in the south of the country where he learned the coran.

He became member to the Destour Party in 1924 when he was only 17. He was distinguished by a unique courage making him the one who gathered the entire radical members of the national movement, who called for the armed struggle against colonialism. He was sent away to the extreme south of the country.

Hi worked in Tunis as a charranctier and become member of the trade unionist movement within the CGTT of Mohamed Ali Hammi, which was dissolved in 1925.

In 1936, he decided to bring back the CGTT and succeeded to become its first responsible in 1937.
Because he refused an order of the Néo-Destour party to go on strike that he qualified to be replace him by a lawyer (Hédi Nouira, who became a prime minister from 1970 to 1980). The second CGTT disappeared in 1938.

He dued on the 28th of February 1987.

Farhat Hached (1914-1952)

The founder of UGTT : Farhat Hached was born on the 2nd of February 1914 in the island of Kherkena. He was started working in 1936 as an employee of the Tunisian company of transport of the Sahel and, in the same year, he became member of the trade union of transport employees, part of the French ‘’CGT’’.

In 1940, he was recruited as an employee of the bureau of public workers in Sfax.

Then, Hached and his friends, members of CGT, thought of creating a Tunisian Trade Union, that is, a trade unionist movement with social and national character.

In the same year, Hached founded the independent trade unions in the south and in 1945; he created the union of independent trade unions in the north.

On the 20th of January 1946 Hached directed the founding congress of the Tunisian General Trade Union in which he was elected general secretary. Then, in January 1952, after the capture of the nationalist leader Habib Bourguiba, Hached took the responsibility of leading the national struggle.

On the 5th of December 1952, the leader Farhat Hached was assassinated by a group of colonizers ‘’ the Red Hand ‘’.

Ahmed Tlili (1916-1967)

Mister Africa :Ahmed Tlili was born on the 15th of October 1916 in Gafsa, and after finishing his studies in primary school there, he moved to the capital city where he continued his studies in Sadiki secondary School.

He became a teacher, then, workers in the post and communication office and returned to his city of birth in 1944.

He became familiar with the situation of the mining workers and participated to the founding of the independent trade unions in the south in 1944.

He also participated with Hached in the creation of the Tunisian trade Union and was elected member of its directing board in 1946.

He was imprisoned foe several times and in 1952, he organized the armed struggle in Gafsa. After independence, he became general secretary of the workers organization from 1957 until 1963.

He also struggles within the free legislative party and had a different point of view with President Bourguiba. He exiled from Tunisia in 1965 to Europe where he died on the 25th of June 1967.

Habib Achour(1913-1999)

A militant for the autonomy of the UGTT : A companion of Farhat Hached, and coming from kerkennah like him, Habib Achour was born on the 25th of February 1913 and engaged early in the active life.

He felt the bad treatment of the Tunisian workers in comparison to their European counterparts.
This explains his revolt and enthusiasm in defending them, their interests in the country with all the means. He led the strikers who, on the 5th of august 1947, faced the forces of occupation who answered this action by shooting them resulting in 18 dead and one hundred injured, among whom Habib Achour.

He was one of the groups who surrounded Hached and founded the Autonomous trade unions of the south, of the north and then the UGTT.
He participated actively to the national struggle and played a major role in the victory of Bourguiba.

He was general secretary of the UGTT for several times (63-65, 70-87, 80-86), he had difficult relationship with Bourguiba and two of his ministers and was imprisoned and had the capital punishment.
He defended sharply the autonomy of the UGTT and opposed many governmental maneuvers.