On December 27, 2018, the Algerian authorities arrested a number of trade union officials belonging to the Confederation of Power Produces Syndicate, led by “Abdelkader Kawafi”, the Secretary General of the Independent Union of Electricity and Gas Workers, along with dozens of trade unionists, and prevented them from organizing a protest at the central post office.
The Confederation of Power Produces Syndicate, known as the COSYFOP, published a short video clip on its Facebook page, documenting the protest of electricity and gas workers, laid off by the Sonelgaz Foundation, and denouncing the corruption within Sonelgaz.
The union reported that the vigil during which 15 members of the confederation were arrested ended with the police expulsion of the rest of the participants in a humiliating way, under the threat of follow-up. Moreover, it announced the demands of the protestors in front of the central post, which consist of the return to their work after their dismissal by officials known for corruption and the looting of state funds.
The protesters asked also to respect the decisions of the International Labour Organization and the trade union freedoms in Algeria and the abolition of the criminalization of trade union, human rights and press work.
In a statement to the Secretary-General of the Energy Workers Union, Zakaria Ben Haddad, quoted by the confederation on its Facebook page, consider that this vigil is just the beginning of the movement of the laid off workers from "Sonelgaz", asserting that the mobilization will continue in the next days to enter in an open strike in the energy and oil sector, whose workers suffer from enslavement.
The following is a list of the detainees:
1- Abdelkader Kawafi: The Secretary General of the Confederation of Power Produces Syndicate
2- Ben Haddad Zakaria: The Secretary General of the National Union of Energy Workers
3- Suleiman Bin Al-Zain: The Coordinating Head of Security and Safety Agents of Sonelgaz
4- Arraf Imad: A member in charge of organizing the National Union of Energy Workers’
5 – Ben Arafa Wahid: A member of the National Office charged with the public relations in the National Union of Energy Workers
6- Rezig Tarek: A member of the National Office of the National Union of Electricity and Gas Workers Snateg
7 – Makki Mohammed: A member of the National Office of Confederation of Power Produces Syndicate
#Algeria: #Attacks on# the protest of #the dismissed "Sonelgaz" workers# and this the list of the #detainees
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