ABSTRACT
In times of crisis, unionists always say that it is important to protect the chqaf, imagery used by sailors in reference to the ship. The congress provides an opportunity for the UGTT to set forth its goals as a trade union, as well as for democracy and the country as a whole. There was total agreement among the unionists interviewed that the congress should serve as an opportunity for the UGTT to assert its independence and self-reliance-the only means of staying above the fray. The issues of trade unions' independence from the parties arose as soon as Bourguiba took power. Union pluralism was a topic addressed at length by the interviewees. There was general agreement that while union pluralism has its rightful place, in Tunisia it was primarily implemented as a means to undermine the UGTT. The UGTT is now the only organization of its type in modern Tunisia to have persevered for six decades.
