Algeria: policemen, soldiers, teachers, doctors and retired people salary in danger

A number of public servants in Algeria including policemen, army officers, retired people and teachers will not be able to withdraw their salaries as post workers have been on an open strike for ten days.

People will queue for long at post offices as salary withdrawal were blocked and banking transactions with Algerie Poste were delayed.

Public servants will go to post offices on same days to withdraw their salary. A total of 180,000 policemen are expected to withdraw their money on January 9th.

In Algiers, post offices are closed and people are waiting for employees to come and open the door. “It’s a pity that we can’t withdraw our money for more than a week. We do not know what will happen and whether there will be liquidity or not,” an employee in health sector said.

A number of employees were supposed to withdraw their salary early in January. Some 300,000 people work in local governance while the number of retired people is estimated at about one million. Around 16 million people have postal accounts.

Banking transactions related to car loans are delayed. Clients have to pay their monthly part through post offices on the fifth day of each month.

The strike also blocked transactions in CNEP bank as post office workers did not assure minimum guaranteed service. Even automatic distributors did not have liquidity. “Even machines are on strike,” a man ironically said.

Skirmishes took place in some post offices and some people broke office gates. Security forces mobilized policemen to secure offices and to avoid clashes.