FCE business leaders seek moratorium on import of Chinese workers for project implementation

The Government is reportedly examining a proposal to curtail the import of foreign labour, primarily Chinese, made by the Forum of Heads of National Enterprises (FCE) within the framework of the 40 recommendations which should be submitted to the Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal himself, as part of an overall endeavor aimed at giving a fresh and solid impetus to the flagging national economy in view of the sharp slump of oil prices on the world market.

The FCE move is aimed at fostering national economic growth of between 7 and 10 per cent and increasing the share of industry in GDP currently estimated by 5 per cent to 15 per cent.

FCE business leaders also suggested in their salvaging proposals the marked reduction of foreign workers brought to work in Algeria notably from China and, if necessary, to allow national companies to recruit foreign workers, especially when it comes to carrying out special development projects.

These proposals also point to the imperious necessity for the scrapping of hurdles by the national employment agency in terms of labour mobility at national level, with the lifting of regulatory obstacles in streamlining the working hours and allowing work during extra time, after an agreement on the matter between the employers and the social partners.

The FCE leaders argued that the enforcement of such labour-related measures would allow for the smooth and swift implementation of numerous basic development projects notably in the important construction sector.