{"id":3078,"date":"2025-07-20T20:15:33","date_gmt":"2025-07-20T19:15:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cosyfop.ovh\/?p=3078"},"modified":"2025-07-20T20:17:21","modified_gmt":"2025-07-20T19:17:21","slug":"%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a8%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%81%d8%ae%d9%91%d9%8b%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a9-%d9%86%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d8%aa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cosyfop.ovh\/en\/%d8%ad%d9%8a%d9%86-%d8%aa%d8%b5%d8%a8%d8%ad-%d8%a7%d9%84%d8%b4%d8%b1%d8%b9%d9%8a%d8%a9-%d9%81%d8%ae%d9%91%d9%8b%d8%a7-%d9%85%d8%a3%d8%b3%d8%a7%d8%a9-%d9%86%d9%82%d8%a7%d8%a8%d9%8a-%d8%a7%d8%ae%d8%aa\/","title":{"rendered":"When \u201cLegitimacy\u201d Becomes a Trap: The Tragic Fate of a Unionist Who Chose the \u201cOfficial\u201d Side"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Raouf Mellal \u2014 Geneva, July 20, 2025<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happens when loyalty to the \u201cofficial\u201d union becomes a liability rather than protection? The case of Lounis Sa\u00efdi offers a devastating answer.\nIn Algeria, it is no longer surprising to see trade unionists thrown in jail merely for notifying the authorities of a strike. But what happened to union leader Lounis Sa\u00efdi reveals a disturbing paradox. Unlike the narrative often pushed by the government\u2014that repression targets only \u201cunrecognized\u201d independent unions\u2014Sa\u00efdi was not part of any such structure. On the contrary, he held the position of Secretary General of the National Federation of Railway Workers, a body affiliated with the UGTA (General Union of Algerian Workers), officially described by the state as its \u201csocial partner.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On June 25, 2025, Sa\u00efdi exercised his union mandate and submitted an official strike notice to the Ministry of Transport. The demands were straightforward: the implementation of wage increases agreed upon in 2023, better working conditions, and an end to administrative interference in union elections. His actions were fully in line with the country\u2019s constitutional and legal frameworks\u2014yet the authorities saw it differently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On July 5, 2025\u2014a symbolic date marking Algeria\u2019s Independence Day\u2014Sa\u00efdi was arrested and placed in pretrial detention. Less than two weeks later, on July 17, he was sentenced to two years in prison and handed a heavy fine. The charges stemmed directly from his union activities and his exercise of the right to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What made the ruling even more outrageous was the response from Sa\u00efdi\u2019s own union leadership. Instead of defending him, his central federation revoked the strike notice, stripped him of his union status, and effectively handed him over to the authorities\u2014branding him a \u201crogue actor\u201d rather than a labor activist standing up for workers\u2019 rights. The very \u201cofficial\u201d union he belonged to turned its back on him the moment he dared to exercise a constitutional right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is precisely what independent unions\u2014deemed \u201cillegal\u201d by the authorities\u2014do not do. Despite limited resources and relentless pressure, we have never abandoned our members in the face of repression. The contrast is now stark: between those who defend their rank-and-file with integrity, and those who sell them out at the first sign of risk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case of Lounis Sa\u00efdi lays bare the false nature of so-called \u201cofficial\u201d unions in Algeria. It reaffirms what many have long understood: state-granted legitimacy is nothing more than a tool of control and domestication. Real legitimacy is not handed down by power\u2014it is earned through struggle, through the fight for independence and autonomy, not through obedience or alignment with the regime\u2019s narrative.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What happened sets a dangerous precedent. Sa\u00efdi wasn\u2019t arrested for organizing a street protest\u2014as we often do\u2014or for publicly criticizing the government and its flawed policies. He was arrested, tried, and imprisoned simply for sending a formal strike notice through the official administrative channels. If that alone is enough to land a unionist in prison, then what remains of the right to strike or to organize?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once again, the Algerian authorities have shown that they make no distinction between a unionist \u201clegitimized\u201d through official channels and an independent, grassroots activist. Both are subjected to the same machinery of loyalty and obedience. For those who still believe that affiliation with an official union offers protection, the case of Sa\u00efdi is a sobering reminder: state-sanctioned legitimacy protects no one\u2014it may, in fact, be the very trap that ensures your downfall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moreover, the new Trade Union Law (2023)\u2014which we have repeatedly denounced for its repressive nature and its incompatibility with international standards\u2014has served only one purpose: to restrict freedoms and criminalize strikes in key sectors. In Sa\u00efdi\u2019s case, it was used explicitly as a legal instrument to justify his prosecution.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even media hypocrisy played its part. The case of Lounis Sa\u00efdi attracted considerable international coverage, while the case of unionist Ali Mammeri\u2014no less serious\u2014was largely ignored. This reveals a sobering truth: despite its criticism of the Algerian regime, much of the international press still operates within carefully drawn boundaries. It seldom gives the independent labor movement the attention\u2014or the justice\u2014it truly deserves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cases of Lounis Sa\u00efdi and Ali Mammeri\u2014the latter falsely accused of terrorism\u2014are not isolated incidents. They are a mirror reflecting the state of freedoms in Algeria, and a political and moral test for anyone who claims to stand for social justice and the right to organize in this country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\u0635\u0648\u0631\u0629<\/figure>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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