Tunisia’s powerful UGTT union calls nationwide strike for January 21

Tunisia’s main union, the UGTT, has announced a nationwide strike for January 21 to demand wage-increase negotiations and protest an escalating government crackdown on critics.

The walkout could cripple key public sectors and put pressure on a government already in financial difficulties. It also raises the risk of unrest amid growing public frustration with poor services.

The union has played a central role in Tunisia’s post-2011…