00:00 On Monday, some 200 bakers in Tunisia take part in a sit-in outside the headquarters
00:04 of the Ministry of Commerce to protest the closure of more than 1,500 of their bakeries,
00:11 following the government's decision to cut off the supply of the subsidized flour.
00:15 Tunisia has been suffering from a bread shortage for months, causing long lines outside bakeries.
00:22 In December, thousands of bakeries closed their doors as part of a general strike to
00:26 demand that the government pay their dues in this context of subsides to the bakery
00:31 industry.
00:32 The current administration had published a plan to begin phasing out bread subsides over
00:37 a four-year period.
00:39 Tunisia is going through a deep financial crisis that has led to frequent shortages
00:43 of basic commodities such as sugar, milk and rice, coinciding with an accelerating inflation
00:49 rate of 9.8%, according to official figures released in early December.
00:58 I came here today because we have no income.
01:01 1,500 bakeries are closed and their owners are risking going to prison as they are no
01:08 longer able to pay their rents and leasing debts.
01:11 1,500 bakeries employing six to seven workers each.
01:16 of them are now jobless and homeless.
