"YEAR OF THE STRIKE" CONTINUES

C O N F I D E N T I A L ALGIERS 000458

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/22/2018
TAGS: ELAB PHUM PGOV SOCI AG
SUBJECT: "YEAR OF THE STRIKE" CONTINUES

REF: A. ALGIERS 332

B. 07 ALGIERS 1037

Classified By: Deputy Chief of Mission Thomas F. Daughton;
reasons 1.4 (b) and (d).


1. (SBU) SUMMARY: Algeria's autonomous unions staged
another nationwide strike from April 13 to 15. Participation
rates varied and the country did not grind to a halt. In an
unusual development, riot police dispersed demonstrating
strikers near the Central Post Office in Algiers. Although
the level of frustration among ordinary Algerians is palpably
high, the labor actions do not appear to be tapping into it
effectively. End Summary.


2. (SBU) The "year of the strike" continues in Algeria (ref
A). Twenty autonomous unions (non-state affiliated unions
representing a variety of professions) engaged in a
nationwide strike April 13-15. As in previous actions,
workers struck over working conditions, wages and purchasing
power. In contrast to previous strikes, both the Inter-trade
Union Organization and the National Coordination of
Autonomous Unions participated in the April strike.
According to press reports, strike participation rates varied
by region and sector. The French-language daily Liberte
reported April 16 that the participation rate in the public
health sector was less than one percent. The French-language
daily El Watan reported the same day that, according to
National Union of Education Workers member Mabrouk Rahmouni,
59.5 percent of potential strikers participated in the April
13 and 14 strikes in the wilaya (province) of Adrar, located
in southwest Algeria. El Watan also quoted National Council
of Secondary and Technical Teachers member M. Zemzoum as
saying that his union had a three-day participation rate of
75 percent in the wilaya of Skikda, located in eastern
Algeria.


3. (SBU) Anti-riot brigades were deployed against
demonstrators near the Central Post Office in Algiers (the
number of protesters is unclear, though appears to have been
at least dozens). According to March 16 newspapers and the
observations of some of our local staff, the police used
force to prevent the strikers from reaching the building
housing the prime minister's office (the Palais du
Gouvernement). When anti-riot brigades clashed with
protesters, strikers and pedestrians alike were reportedly
forced to run to avoid being bludgeoned by the police.
Liberte reported April 16 that seven strikers were detained
for questioning by the police.


4. (C) Article 57 of Algeria's constitution acknowledges the
right to strike and no fewer than four laws, dating from 1990
and 1991, address striking in Algeria. Rachid Malaoui,
president of one of two versions of the National Autonomous
Union of Public Administration Employees, told us on April
22, however, that the 1992 State of Emergency decree prevents
strikers from demonstrating publicly. The April 15 police
action took place under the 1992 decree.


5. (C) COMMENT: This was the fourth nationwide strike of

2008. While it was nationwide in name and effect, the
country was by no means paralyzed. Some cities and regions
were more affected than others; in Algiers it was largely
business as usual. Algerians have few legal outlets to
express their frustrations. Journalist Said Chekroune told
us late last year that frustrations in Algeria were at a
simmering point, with a major eruption inevitable (ref B).
Localized riots in the past week in Tiaret, Gdyel and Annaba
suggest that, at least as regards the high level of
frustration, Chekroune was right. These repeated nationwide
strikes do not appear, however, to be tapping into that
frustration in a significant way.
FORD