Municipality guards threaten to protest in 17 cities next Sunday

Municipality Guards’ National Syndicate decided to launch protests and marches across 17 cities, on January 26, in front of the Wilayas’ headquarters, due to the continuing freezing of the guards’ salaries, for fourth month in a row.

Municipality Guards’ National Coordinator, Hakim Choaib, said in a phone conversation with Echorouk, that the Syndicate decided to get out in rallies and protests across 17 cities, because of the monthly fee for the agents, and that have not been paid for reasons that remain unexplained, and are summarized in the bureaucratic terrorism by the National Pension Fund.

The spokesman said that services of the Defense Ministry informed the guards to refer their files to the Wilayas, and then to the National Pension Fund, but the latter argue every time and asked the retired guards to bring documents and additional files.

“Wages remained frozen for the fourth month in a row, at a time the government launched a delegate ministry to bring reform to the service and alleviate the bureaucratic procedures.

Municipal guards’ protests will be in the cities of Jijel, Bouira, Blida, Ain Defla, El Tarf, Khenchla and other cities, especially by retirees whose files were transferred to the National Pension Fund. Municipality Guards of Jijel have threatened to launch an open food strike in front of the headquarters of the state, if there demand is not resolved.

This new protest movement by agents of the Municipality Guards reflects the fragile truce that is not declared between them and the Interior Ministry, on the background of the two sides’ return to the negotiating table on last January 19, and the programming for the second meeting on February 9, especially as many points remain unresolved, like the recognition on scarifying the sector and the demand of overtime and other contentious outstanding issues.