🗓️ Published on: 22/01/2026
Four independent Algerian trade union organizations have sent an official letter to the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), expressing deep concern over recent statements issued by the Organization’s office in Algeria, which they consider disconnected from the actual situation of trade union freedoms in the country.
The signatory organizations are the Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP), the National Autonomous Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP), the National Autonomous Union of Electricity and Gas Workers (SNATEG), and the National Union of Independent Sectors (SNSI).
In their letter, the unions stressed that the remarks made by the Director of the ILO Office in Algeria following his meeting with the Minister of Labour on 13 January 2026 — during which he praised the “quality of relations” and “social reforms” — do not reflect the daily reality experienced by workers and independent trade union organizations.
According to the unions, trade union rights in Algeria have been undergoing a serious and systematic deterioration for several years. This includes the refusal to register independent unions, administrative interference in their internal affairs, dismissals linked to trade union activity, and judicial proceedings targeting union leaders. In several cases, such prosecutions have been carried out under the pretext of counter-terrorism legislation, forcing some trade unionists into exile.
The unions further warned that this escalation no longer affects independent organizations alone, but has now extended to trade unions historically close to the authorities. They referred in particular to the case of ten members of the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) who were placed in detention following a strike action, viewing this as clear evidence of the generalized nature of trade union repression in the country..
The letter recalls that these violations are extensively documented in reports issued by the ILO supervisory bodies, notably the Committee on Freedom of Association and the Committee of Experts,which have repeatedly identified serious shortcomings and issued recommendations that remain largely unimplemented by the Algerian authorities.
The unions strongly criticized what they described as the ILO Office in Algeria’s disregard for these findings, warning that public praise of the authorities — without reference to documented violations — undermines the Organization’s principle of neutrality and is used domestically to legitimize repressive policies.
They also expressed serious concern regarding the timing of these statements, given the highly sensitive judicial context surrounding several detained trade unionists, foremost among them Ali Mammeri, a leader of COSYFOP, who has been sentenced to fifteen years of imprisonment and is due to appear before the final judicial instance on 1 February 2026..
According to the unions, any international discourse suggesting a “normal” situation with regard to trade union freedoms risks aggravating the conditions of detained unionists and weakening international efforts calling for their release.
The signatory organizations therefore called on the ILO Director-General to intervene urgently to correct the position of the Organization’s office in Algeria, ensure compliance with the recommendations of the supervisory bodies, and establish a formal framework for consultation and cooperation between the complaining unions, the ILO Office in Algeria, and the Workers’ Activities Department (ACTRAV).
In closing, the unions stressed that the ILO is, more than ever, called upon to preserve its independence and credibility, and to ensure that statements made by its representatives are not used to obscure a reality marked by serious violations of trade union freedoms and workers’ rights in Algeria.
Statement of Algerian trade unions
The Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP), the National Autonomous Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP), the National Autonomous Union of Electricity and Gas Workers (SNATEG), and the National Union of the Industrial Sector (SNSI) hereby declare that, on 20 January 2026, they submitted a formal communication to the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), following the public statements made by the Director of the ILO Office in Algeria, Mr. Halim Hamzaoui.
These statements in no way reflect the reality on the ground regarding trade union freedoms in Algeria and stand in clear contradiction to the recommendations and observations issued by the ILO supervisory bodies. We emphasize that these statements, widely disseminated by the official media, were made at a moment of extreme sensitivity, while a broad international mobilization — led by trade union organizations, human rights organizations, as well as several United Nations Special Rapporteurs — is underway in support of the release of COSYFOP trade union leader Ali Mammeri. He remains detained on the basis of terrorism-related charges, sentenced to fifteen (15) years of imprisonment, and subjected to persistent pressure and restrictions at his place of detention in Oum El Bouaghi.
We are deeply concerned that such statements, issued by a senior ILO official, may be interpreted by the Algerian authorities as a green light to continue their hostile policies toward independent trade union organizations, as well as to maintain the detention of Ali Mammeri, thereby giving this case a particularly serious and alarming dimension.
In this context, we have decided to inform national and international public opinion of our formal referral to the ILO Director-General, with the aim of obtaining without delay clear explanations regarding these statements and of requesting his intervention to ensure respect for the fundamental principles of the Organization concerning trade union freedom.
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