French BPO Armatis prevents new union leaders from working in Tunisia 

UNI Global Union strongly condemns French customer relations provider, Armatis, for blocking five newly elected union representatives from entering the company’s premises in Tunisia. 

The business process outsourcing (BPO) company barred access to the elected worker representatives just one day after the formation of a new union committee with UNI affiliate, the Tunisian General Labour Union (UGTT). 

On 7 April, workers at Armatis Tunisia, which employs more than 650 people across two call centres, officially established their union. Just 24 hours later, the five elected members of the union committee arrived at work to find they had been banned from the building. Without prior notice or explanation, their photos had been placed in security posts, instructing guards to deny them access. 

“This is a deliberate and disgraceful attempt to crush a democratic union from the moment it was born,” said UNI Global Union General Secretary, Christy Hoffman. “This kind of retaliation is illegal under Tunisian law – and would never be tolerated in France,” said Hoffman. “We demand that the five union leaders are returned to work and a commitment from Armatis to respect workers’ rights from now on.” 

The workers immediately contacted the Tunisian labour inspectorate to request an official meeting. A solicitor also accompanied the workers to witness and document the company’s refusal to allow them access to the worksite. 

Armatis Tunisia provides outsourced French language customer service for major international clients. As a large French corporation, Armatis is required to comply with the country’s duty of vigilance law to mitigate the risk of human rights violations in its operations. It is also expected to adhere to international standards on freedom of association and the right to organize according to the OECD Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. 

UNI Global Union stands in full solidarity with the workers of Armatis Tunisia and their union, UGTT.