The Nobel Peace Prize 2015 – an acknowledgement of the trade union movement

Industri Energi president Leif Sande
Industri Energi president Leif Sande

fredag 9. oktober 2015

Industri Energi congratulates the Tunisian trade union confederation, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT), with the Nobel Peace Prize 2015, which UGTT was awarded together with three other organizations; the Tunisian Confederation of Industry, Trade and Handicrafts (UTICA), the Tunisian Human Rights League (LTDH), and the Tunisian Order of Lawyers.

This Quartet has made a decisive contribution to the building of a pluralistic democracy in Tunisia in the wake of the Jasmine Revolution of 2011.

Without UGTT as mediator between the political parties, there was a great risk that Tunisia would not have made the transition from dicatorship to a democratic process.

– This year’s award is an acknowledgement of the fact that the trade union movement plays a crucial role in the society, not only when it comes to wage negotiations and collective agreements, but also in creating and shaping democracy and welfare for the society as a whole. This goes both for Tunisia, the Arab countries and the world as a whole, says PresidentLeif Sande of Industri Energi.