Mohamed Ali El Hammi (; 15 October 1890 – May 10, 1928) was an early twentieth-century Tunisian labor organizer during the era of the French protectorate over Tunisia. He is deemed as the father of Tunisian syndicalism.
Life and legacy He was born in El Hamma, Gabès, Tunisia. He moved to Tunis at age 8 when his mother died. He began his professional life as a personal driver for the Hungarian consul in Tunis. He also worked as a porter before obtaining his driving license in 1908. He then left for Germany and studied economics and political science at the University of Berlin.
He founded the Confédération générale des travailleurs tunisiens (General Confederation of Tunisian Workers) in 1924, a year after returning to the country. He led strikes and formed regional unions across Tunisia.Masri, Safwan. Tunisia: An Arab Anomaly. New York: Columbia University Press, 2017, 171–172. He was a friend and contemporary of Tahar Haddad.
He was arrested and exiled by the French in 1925.Perkins, Kenneth J.. Historical Dictionary of Tunisia. Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2016, 78.
Death On May 10, 1928, he died in a mysterious car crash in Saudi Arabia. His remains were repatriated to Tunisia on April 6, 1968.Hfaidh Tababi, Mohamed Ali El Hammi, ed. Higher Institute of the history of the national movement, Tunis, 2005, pp. 13-36
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