AUTONOMOUS UNIONS AND STUDENTS TEST THE LIMITS

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ALGIERS 000110

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/29/2018
TAGS: PHUM PGOV KOCI AG
SUBJECT: AUTONOMOUS UNIONS AND STUDENTS TEST THE LIMITS


Classified By: CDA, a.i. Thomas F. Daughton; reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (C) SUMMARY: Thousands of middle and high school
students across Algeria took to the streets in a nationwide
strike starting on January 15, heeding the call of autonomous
unions. The strike resulted in a near complete paralysis of
the education system for more than five days across the
entire country. The students went back to class after the
Ministry of National Education promised to meet and negotiate
on January 26, although a recently announced nationwide
general strike for February 10-12 will provid an opportunity
for students to return to the streets. The strike reflected
an unprecedented amount of coordination among disparate
groups and was not officially sanctioned by the government.
However, the government response was measured and, for the
most part, not overtly confrontational. Some believe that
the government response was deliberate and designed to
reflect an air of kindness before a proposed amendment to the
constitution to permit a third term for President Bouteflika.
Others note that the strike reflected the good organization
skills of the autonomous unions in the face of the larger
government union, which has historically claimed to be the
sole legitimate voice of the worker. END SUMMARY.

TEACHERS AND STUDENTS ON STRIKE: WHAT HAPPENED?
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2. (C) On January 15, autonomous unions representing public
employees from health, education and other sectors went on
strike to protest the implementation of a November 2007
salary scale, which they said was inadequate for their needs.
According to press reports, education workers represented
the lion's share of the strikers. The strikers were joined
in parallel by students from high schools and middle schools,
who struck to focus government attention on their perceived
heavy workload and inadequate school materials. An estimated
70 percent of teachers and students participated in the
strike nationwide, which was largely peaceful. According to
press reports, four students were arrested, while several
students blocked roads with rocks and burning tires. Press
reports also noted that some striking students were given
flyers linked to an unknown person named "Hamza." The
flyers, written in Arabic, contained Islamist slogans.


3. (C) Zoubida Yanat, a teacher at the Omar Racim high school
in Algiers, told us January 20 that teachers had been
considered the "new poor" for some time and that they had
been "trying to send messages to the government saying that
the crisis is really acute." Yanat added that, despite
repeated attempts, the government had not responded to
teacher concerns and cautioned "this time, the authorities
might understand that with this paralysis it is about time to
deal seriously with the matter."


4. (C) On January 16, Slimane Mesbah, director of education
for the wilaya (province) of Algiers, met with five student
representatives, promising to convey their concerns to
National Education Minister Boubekour Benbouzid. At the
beginning of the strike, the students gave Benbouzid a
deadline of January 26 to respond to their concerns or else
the strike would continue indefinitely. Benbouzid, who has
held his position for 18 years, waited several days to
respond. When he did, he claimed that a political campaign
against his reforms was at the root of the current
student/teacher conflagration and alleged that the students
had been manipulated into going on strike. He nonetheless
made a general promise to address the students' concerns, and
the majority of students across the country began returning
to class by January 20.

THE IMMEDIATE FALLOUT FROM THE STRIKE
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5. (C) For the first time, students from high schools, middle
schools and primary schools went on strike together and on
the same day. The synchronization among all the participants
-- union members and students -- was unprecedented and many
said the strike was the most successful the autonomous unions
had ever mobilized. Striking students and teachers were
joined by school administrative staff, effectively paralyzing
the entire education sector.


6. (C) The government, which was notified of the strike
before it occurred but did not grant official permission to

ALGIERS 00000110 002 OF 002


conduct it, generally allowed the strikes to go forward
without interference. Omar Belhouchet, editor-in-chief of
the French-language daily El-Watan, told the Ambassador on
January 22 that he viewed the government's restrained
response to the strike as "more intelligent than it might
have been," adding that the government did not want to
provoke students. In addition, he said, and in contrast to
student strikes in 1988, students were careful in 2008 to
avoid violence.


7. (C) Sofiane Ait-Iflis, a reporter for French-language
daily Le Soir d'Algerie, called the strike a "wonderful
success" and said that the participation rate was 80 percent.
Fatma Zohra Mansouri, principal of Algiers' largest high
school and someone who did not wholeheartedly support the
strike, estimated a participation rate closer to 50 percent.
Mansouri confirmed to us January 20 that there was a problem
with teacher salaries, but added that "there should also be a
minimum of services so that the school year is not
jeopardized."

AFTER THE STRIKE
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8. (C) The strikes shed light on two important issues: the
viability of the school year and the roles of unions. Ali
Lamdani, Communication officer of the National Autonomous
Council of the Secondary and Technical Teaching System
(CNAPEST),one of the autonomous unions, told us January 20
that, in the short term, he believed the education ministry
would have to postpone the normal February exams for high
school students and condense some subjects such as math and
philosophy. He said that high schools would have to make up
lost days by arranging extra hours for students studying for
their baccalaureate exam, the most important exam for high
school students. Postponing or canceling the baccalaureate
exam would be "a mess" for the education sector and would
mean that students and teachers had lost a year of work, he
added. If the strike were to resume and continue
indefinitely, Lamdani said, it would be very difficult to
register new pupils throughout the entire education system.


9. (C) Focusing on the role of unions, Lorraine Clewer,
director of the American Center for International Labor
Solidarity in Algiers, told us January 20 that she had spoken
to members of the autonomous unions and that they believed
the strikes had been allowed by the government in order to
neutralize the unions' power over the longer term. Clewer
added that some people believed that the government was using
the strikes as a release valve and that it would eventually
step in and resolve the problems. This, she believed, would
make the government look good and smooth things over before a
referendum on a third term for President Bouteflika.
Meanwhile, Yanat told us that the autonomous unions were "not
only more organized but, let's face it, they are more
effective" than the government's General Union of Algeria
Workers (UGTA),which claims national membership of at least
one million. Yanat concluded that "the teachers' community
and UGTA have broken up for good."


10. (C) COMMENT: It is perhaps not surprising that the
government's response to the students was muted, since given
the current level of popular disenchantment it can ill afford
to be seen beating or arresting high school students.
However, the degree of participation among the various groups
and the unprecedented level of coordination have people
talking. Benbouzid has not yet delivered on his promise to
address the students' concerns. If he doesn't, the
nationwide general strike called for by the autonomous unions
for February 10-12 will give the students another chance to
voice their displeasure.
DAUGHTON