French justice condemns Algeria, force it to pay dues of Algerians

Practices at Algeria’s consulate in Montpelier, southern France, caused a diplomatic scandal that hit the Foreign Ministry’s staff, and finished with the condemnation of the Algerian state through a decision by the French justice.

French justice decided to send an instruction to the services of Algerian consulate which provides for the necessity to respect the French working legislations in dealing with employees.

French court of solving job disputes condemned the Algerian government under the title “court condemns the Algerian Popular Democratic Republic”,  thus the provision was issued, available to Echorouk, after a complaint by an Algerian national against the consulate in Montpelier where he used to work, asking for compensation on all hours of work.

Algerian immigrant “B.T” said he was subject to oppression by officials in the consulate, as he did not receive all his dues, and met with the responsible of the consulate bit his problem was not solved.

Sources related yo the file said, the responsible told the Algerian worker ; “Go out may be the French justice would do justice”, therefore; he deposited a complaint at the French justice, as the council which is specialised in disputes at work in France ordered his compensation on all the working hours.

Compensations were distributed, according to the case (F 10/01807) dated on January 25, 2013, between 18.573 euros, titled “compensation on additional hours”, and 1000 euros for the damage due to the lack of compensation. The additional hours, 5698 euros as a compensation on violating the rules on the rest hours. 

The decision also includes 1842 euros for the paid holidays, 2096 euros as a compensation on damage due to the non respect of Sunday holidays, which he worked as a permanent. 

Compensation went beyond all that to reach 12.579 euros, according to the judicial decision, for the damage on the  wage remnants of 13 months, 1000 euros as a compensation for the examination of the occupation medicine, 2096 euros for rehabilitation, 4193 for notice, 2487 for wage remnants related to illness holidays, and 588 euros for the plane and rights of parking, 20.000 euros for getting fired without a real and professional reason.

French council ordered the Algerian consulate to abolish the disciplinal punishment against the employee that was issued on February 18, 2011, in addition to 5000 euros as a compensation on damage due to operation and violation of justice in treatment, and 1500 euros as a compensation on the article related to CBC, and settlement of the social dues of the Algerian worker at the retirement  fund with a value worth 2128 euros, in addition to obliging the services of the consulate to present the salaries survey of all workers , and proving the wage average for three months on the basis of 2096 euros.

This scandalised case pushed the French Foreign Ministry to send an instruction to all embassies and services of the consulate in France, obliging them, according to observes to this file, to resort to legislations which organise the relations of work.

Sources added that the decision was first sent to Algerian embassies and consulates in France, but to avoid any conflict with Algeria, it was generalised.

Many Algerian immigrants living in France criticised some consuls who brought their relatives from Algeria, in order to work in consulates and diplomatic missions in France.