DUBAI: A part owner of Tunisia's Tunisie Telecom said in an interview that a planned strike by the company's workers could have a negative impact on foreign investment in the country. Tunisie Telecom earlier this month announced it was downsizing and reducing their workforce sizably in an effort to boost profit margins. The Tunisian workers' union then announced it would support a strike by the telecom company's employees in an effort to resolve the situation. Already, strikers have forced employees of the state-owned company from reaching their work offices, with a number of call centers and shops being affected, Deepak Padmanabhan, the CEO of Emirates International Telecommunications (EIT) told Reuters news agency. The Emirates-based company had bought 35 percent of Tunisie Telecom in 2006, but the government of Tunisia has since nationalized the majority of the company since the government fell in January after massive street protests. “The strike action is presenting a negative image of Tunisia,” said Padmanabhan. “If Tunisie Telecom is a case study for how foreign investors are treated, then I believe this will make other companies think again before investing and may look to other economies where there is greater clarity and security.” Unions in Tunisia have been growing in influence since the fall of former president Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in January. BM
