The Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP) unequivocally condemns the ruling handed down by the Administrative Court of Bir Mourad Raïs on 28 July 2026, ordering the immediate dissolution of CNAPEST following legal proceedings brought by the Ministry of Labour with the backing of the Ministry of National Education.

The dissolution of a major independent trade union cannot be dismissed as a routine administrative matter. It is a direct assault on freedom of association and another serious blow to Algeria’s independent trade union movement.

Under the guise of enforcing Law No. 23-02, the authorities have turned the administration into a means of interfering in unions’ internal affairs, questioning the legitimacy of their leadership and removing organisations that refuse to operate under government control.

COSYFOP will formally report this case to the ILO Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, so that the ILO’s supervisory bodies are fully informed of the reality facing independent trade unions in Algeria, beyond official claims of respect for trade union pluralism and fundamental freedoms.

COSYFOP also urges CNAPEST not to limit its response to domestic legal remedies, but to bring its case before the International Labour Organization and other relevant international mechanisms without delay.

Taking a trade union case to international bodies is not an infringement of national sovereignty, despite attempts to portray it as such. It is a legitimate exercise of rights arising from international commitments voluntarily undertaken by the Algerian State. Sovereignty cannot be used as a shield against international scrutiny, nor as a pretext for concealing violations or preventing trade unions from defending their rights before the relevant institutions.

Documenting this violation and obtaining authoritative findings and recommendations from international bodies are essential to exposing these practices, protecting CNAPEST members and preserving the union’s prospects of returning to its rightful place in Algeria’s trade union movement.

The attack on CNAPEST is a warning to every independent trade union in Algeria. Silence today will only pave the way for further dissolutions tomorrow.

There can be no genuine social dialogue where independent trade unions are dissolved by court order.