Unions block to save Algeria’s public enterprises from privatization

A large number of public enterprise unions started coordinating to form a block to reject the 2016 Financial Act’s new measures including privatization. They may paralyze enterprises and go on a general strike to put pressure on the government, according to the Secretary General of the electricity and gas workers’ national independent union, Raouf Melal.

“Social partners will never accept to harm public enterprises to reimburse the country’s incomes fall following hydrocarbons price collapse,” the union leader told Echorouk on Sunday.

“A union block of about two million workers will be created to stand against the measures which are rejected by working class,” he added.

He believes that the simple working class is not aware of the new measures seriousness. “We started raising awareness before taking other steps. We will warn the government that we will not keep silent.”

The union said in a release that the government had already privatized companies in 1993 and 1996 including the iron and steel group in Annaba. This had negative impact. Because of that, it called on the government to not go for privatization this year.