Algeria: Wildcat General Strike Paralyzes Ports, Auto, Steel Plants

A massive wildcat general strike of nearly 20,000 auto, steel, port and public health workers is in its twelth day and is spreading across Algeria, amid repeated pitched battles with thousands of cops and security forces. Workers are also defying the ban on public rallies and demonstrations, stemming from a “state of emergency” declared by the government in the early 1990s. Strikers are demanding a wage hike and changes in the minimum wage and tax laws. They’re also denouncing the sweetheart deal signed by their unions which raises the retirement age from 50 to 60 for workers doing difficult and dangerous work, some of whom began working at age 17.

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