{"id":3207,"date":"2025-12-07T14:34:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T13:34:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cosyfop.ovh\/?p=3207"},"modified":"2025-12-07T14:34:46","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T13:34:46","slug":"ugta-fnc","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cosyfop.ovh\/en\/ugta-fnc\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten Algerian Unionists Imprisoned: UGTA Silent, ITUC Siding with the Government"},"content":{"rendered":"

The arrest of ten high-profile unionists<\/a> from the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) has sent shockwaves through the country, reigniting concerns over the shrinking space for trade union freedoms. The incident mirrors a troubling pattern, echoing the ordeal faced by the Railway Workers\u2019 Federation for the second time in less than a year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The case traces back to a spontaneous strike by railway workers on 26 November 2025, which briefly brought train services to a halt before triggering a sweeping crackdown. Dozens of workers were detained, and ten UGTA unionists from multiple provinces were ultimately jailed \u2014 among them the newly elected head of the Railway Workers\u2019 Federation, Mohamed Beraidji. They now face heavy criminal charges, including \u201cundermining state security\u201d and \u201cinciting hatred\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mohamed Beraidji, the federation\u2019s newly elected Secretary-General, succeeds former leader Lounis Saidi not in office, but in prison.<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now the second Secretary-General of the federation to be sent to prison in the span of a single year. His predecessor, Lounis Saidi<\/a>was jailed in July for calling a strike \u2014 a case that drew substantial national and international attention. Saidi was ultimately acquitted and released in October, but the pattern his prosecution set appears to be repeating itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Less than a month after Saidi\u2019s release, his successor Mohamed Beraidji was taken into custody, joining nine fellow unionists behind bars on the same charges tied to trade union activity and the right to strike.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This troubling repetition shows that the railway sector remains a flashpoint, where union leaders are being targeted one after another. It sends a stark warning about the deteriorating climate for social dialogue in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ten Unionists Imprisoned:A Growing Human Tragedy, and the Denial of Conditional Release<\/strong> for One of Them<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The human toll of the case has grown even more alarming. Among the ten detained unionists is a cancer patient who requires continuous, specialized medical care. Despite the seriousness of his condition, the judiciary rejected his request for conditional release, sending him to prison alongside his colleagues \u2014 a decision that defies both medical urgency and basic humanitarian concerns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

UGTA\u2019s Silence and the ITUC\u2019s Disquieting Pro-Government Posture<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

This silence is both troubling and unsettling. The national federation has issued no statement and shared no public update on the arrest of its own leaders. Even more striking, the Railway Workers\u2019 Federation(FNC)<\/a>itself has remained quiet \u2014 not a single post acknowledging that its Secretary-General is now behind bars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This position was articulated by the President of the Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces, Raouf Mellal, in an interview with North Africa TV in London. He questioned the stance of the International Trade Union Confederation(ITUC)<\/a>and its recent alignment with the Algerian government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Mellal noted that the current UGTA Secretary-General, Omar Takjout, now serves as acting president of the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) following its most recent congress \u2014 a position of considerable global influence. Takjout, whose public messaging consistently echoes and promotes the government\u2019s line, much like his predecessor, the imprisoned Abdelmadjid Sidi Sa\u00efd, has leveraged this role at a critical moment. This shift was followed <\/a>by an official visit to Algeria on 25 February 2025 by ITUC Secretary-General Luc Triangle, who praised the Algerian authorities for their \u201cefforts to advance trade union rights.\u201d His statements marked a striking reversal: the ITUC, once a key supporter of independent unions and union freedoms in Algeria, suddenly appeared to endorse the government\u2019s narrative \u2014 effectively aligning itself with increasing repression.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Mellal, this political backing from the world\u2019s most influential labor organization has given the Algerian government a considerable sense of comfort in the face of mounting criticism from human rights groups over the deterioration of trade union freedoms. This, he argues, helps explain the authorities\u2019 increasingly aggressive approach against union activists \u2014 whether independent or affiliated with the state-backed UGTA. Ali Mammeri<\/a> which drew widespread international condemnation, to the imprisonment of Saidi, and now Beraidji and nine of his colleagues, Mellal describes a pattern of \u201cgovernment-driven hysteria\u201d targeting unionists across the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"A Federation Member Speaks Out on the Railway Workers\u2019 Federation Page\"<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

COSYFOP Steps In to Break the Silence<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In this context, Raouf Mellal, President of the Trade Union Confederation of Productive Forces (COSYFOP), stressed that his organization will assume its trade union and humanitarian responsibilities in the case of the ten detained unionists \u2014 despite the fact that none of them belong to COSYFOP.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mellal explained that the defense strategy will not rely on seeking direct intervention from international bodies such as the International Labour Office. Instead, COSYFOP intends to focus on powerful information campaigns and media exposure. The aim is to inform both national and international public opinion and to break the wall of silence imposed by the UGTA and the ITUC, while generating effective pressure that could accelerate the release of the detained unionists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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