Sharan Burrow of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) says that the IMF lending freeze, now eased, was “pushing Tunisia to the brink.” Prior to the easing, Jihen Chandoul of NGO Tunisian Observatory of the Economy (OTE) said “this is blackmail by the IMF, pushing the government to privatize public banks and enterprises and implement reforms that will deepen inequalities. These reforms are in complete conflict with the objectives of the revolution. IMF agreements and all reforms packages linked to them should be subject to the democratic process of voting at the Tunisian parliament. The government should resist IMF pressure and begin negotiations for an exit from the IMF loan.” But after a visit to Tunisia, the IMF called for “implementing the civil service reform strategy that puts the wage bill on a sustainable trajectory