Last night, the road between the coastal city of Sousse and the industrial area of Akouda was blocked by employees of the Tunisian furniture company Meublatex, according to today’s TAP reports. The blockade was quickly ended by security forces, but it nevertheless represents the latest in a series of conflicts between Meublatex and its workers.

The blockade was a direct response to Meublatex’s announcement yesterday that it would shut down its subsidiaries due to security concerns sparked by the workers’ strike that lasted from June 18th to 20th. The decision was announced on Wednesday by Khaled Bougerra, Human Resources Director at Meublatex.

In an interview with “Shems FM,” Bougera classified the shutdown as a ”precautionary decision” made by the president and general director of Meublatex in order to prevent attacks on the company. He stated that while observing the strike, he had noted political and violent slogans that he believed were inciting arson and vandalism. He concluded that because of these threats the company should close until its security could be ensured.

In an interview with TAP, Bougerra accused the UGTT of encouraging workers to damage company property in order to achieve their demands. These claims have been vehemently denied by the UGTT, whose Secretary General of the League of Professions, Hayet Trabelsi, told Shems FM that the allegations were completely unfounded. Trabelsi stated that Meublatex’s accusations were a pretext to prevent the UGTT from protecting workers rights.

Today, however, the Adjunct Secretary General of UGTT, Belgacem Ayari, stated to Shems FM that the UGTT is working towards finding a solution to the conflict as soon as possible. He also added that had Meublatex been willing to negotiate with the UGTT in a mutually respectful fashion, the offices would not have been forced to close in the first place.