15000 workers march as a protestation in Rouiba

Condemning injustice and claiming pay raise

15000 workers march as a protestation in Rouiba

El Khabar, 25 may 2006

The syndicate branches of Rouiba made in practice their threats through the organisation of labour march yesterday morning. The march started from industrial cars unit Sonacom towards the entrance of the town Rouiba.
The labour march that held slogans of No for maltreatment” and “we demand pay increase” was attended by 15000 workers and took place in the middle of tight security measures guaranteed by the police and Gendarmerie.
Pressures and promises from different authorities in the industrial zone Rouiba didn’t stop the manifestations from taking place, as a respond to call made by the local union and this to express the running out of patience amongst workers in front of the maltreatment and the deterioration of their daily life.
Mokdad Messaoudi, the general secretary of the local union of Rouiba, said that the march is a “message to decision makers that the workers are not happy”, making clear the march means “the syndicates’ militancy is still strong in the industrial zone”.
The marchers expressed their refusal of policies of closing down companies and workers firing; the demands for pay increase to keep up with continual prices increases, and demanded an “investigation jury on companies’ management”. There was a consensus on the fact that there are three groups in Algeria who are interested in the conservation of the people goods. These groups are “workers, journalists and security forces”
Management of state participations directorates were a subject to severe criticism from the industrial zone workers, who, according to them, are “behind the deterioration and the bankruptcy that are being experienced by many public companies”. Marchers refused who they described as “retirees” to be public companies managers.