Protest strikes dog Algeria

Feb 22, 2011

ALGIERS — Protest strikes hampered business as usual in Algeria Tuesday, testing the government's confidence that it will not succumb to a popular uprising like the ones that toppled the Tunisian and Egyptian regimes.

The normally docile judicial system saw the sixth day of a strike by court clerks, forcing the postponement of many trials, while municipal workers, engineering students and even paramedics also downed tools.

The strikes have coincided with short-lived anti-government protests on Saturday and Monday in the capital Algiers.

In northeastern Annaba, an industrial center, seven unemployed people staged a protest on the roof of the administration building in which they mutilated themselves. One lost consciousness after slashing his torso and was taken to hospital.

But Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci said the anti-government protests that toppled rulers in Tunisia and Egypt would not spread to Algeria as part of a "domino effect" across the region.

"The domino effect is an invention on the part of the media, including that of Algeria which is very free. I don't think it applies to Algeria. Algeria is not Egypt or Tunisia," he told Spanish daily newspaper El Pais in an interview published Sunday.

The justice ministry called on bailiffs to replace the striking clerks where possible, citing anger among lawyers who have boycotted hearings.

The bar association called the walkout a "heavy violation of the law" and a "serious precedent", in a statement published by the press.

Municipal workers were the latest to down tools, launching a three-day strike Monday to demand a special statute and greater benefits.

The union representing civil servants said two-thirds of the workforce observed the strike, though "pressure" dissuaded many in the capital from taking part.

Paramedics launched an "open" strike on February 8 involving daily work stoppages of between 30 minutes and an hour and rallies at hospitals.

The wave of protests also reached academia, with engineering students demanding the repeal of a decree that they say devalues their diplomas.

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