Civil unrest forces closure to ensure worker safety
Cisco has closed its offices in Tunisia in the wake of political unrest in that North African country. Cisco temporarily shut down its facilities in the region to protect its workers as street violence escalates from protests of government corruption, unemployment and suppression of freedoms.
Other companies have taken similar steps, including Fidelity Investments and pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, according to The Boston Globe.
In an e-mailed statement, Cisco said:
“Cisco has a small presence in Tunisia and although we have temporarily closed our local office as a precautionary measure, we are conducting business as usual with employees using Cisco technology to work from home. The company continues to closely monitor the situation for any impacts to our employees, business and customers.”
A Cisco spokesperson would not detail the number of employees or offices the company has in Tunisia.
A new Tunisian government was formed just a day ago after President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali was deposed after a 23-year autocratic rule. But four ministers have abruptly left that new government, which was formed to try and quell unrest by sharing power with opponents of the Ben Ali regime, according to the Associated Press.
The civil strife in Tunisia began a month ago to overthrow the Ben Ali regime. At least 78 people have been killed in the protests and riots, and losses to the economy amounted to 1.6 billion euros or $2.2 billion US dollars – about 4% of Tunisia’s GDP, according to AFP.
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