Trade union law: OSRA supports autonomous unions

Trade union law: OSRA supports autonomous unions

The Trade Union Organization of Algerian Pensioners (OSRA) joins the autonomous public service unions, as well as the UGTA, which have clearly been very critical of the two bills submitted by the government and currently being examined at the NPC level.

The first draft relates to the exercise of the right to organize in Algeria, while the second relates to the law on the prevention of conflicts in the workplace and the exercise of the right to strike.

For some time now, these two texts have been the subject of protests by several trade union organisations, which have made no secret of their concerns about the future of trade union activity within public and private bodies and companies.

OSRA, which is still waiting for approval from the guardianship, says it is directly concerned by these projects and "cannot remain without reaction to these attacks on the gains on trade union freedoms and joins the general trade union mobilization planned for February 28, 2023 by the Algerian Trade Union Confederation (CSA)", according to the terms of its statement.

According to this communiqué, signed by its general secretary, Ahmed Badaoui, OSRA declares its solidarity with the autonomous unions of the public service, for the defense of trade union freedoms, the right to strike as well as the creation of pensioners' unions.

"The OSRA sees in this draft an attack on the most elementary trade union freedoms and the free exercise of trade union activity, as well as on the right to strike", explains the same document, adding, that "after reading the content of the two bills relating to the exercise of the right to organize and the right to strike, we have found that these bills will probably cancel and replace Law 90-14 of 2 June 1990 on the modalities of exercise of the right to organize".

These projects, OSRA stressed, were originally intended to be in line with the requirements of the new situation defined and enshrined in the country's Constitution, namely the establishment of justice and social stability, respect for the fundamental rights and freedoms of workers in particular and citizens in general.

"The adoption and application of the new constitution of 2020 required the revision of a multitude of legislative texts and the revision of many practices in the different sectors, including the exercise of the right to organize and the right to organize freely for the defense of the interests of civil servants and workers," the statement added.

These new provisions contained in these two bills, says OSRA, were supposed to obey a concern to adapt to the constitution, to the various international treaties initialed or signed by Algeria on the one hand and on the other hand, to irreversibly enshrine human rights and respect for the conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) ratified by Algeria,  These include Convention No. 87 on Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize, and Convention No. 89 on the Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining.

The Secretary General affirms that these two bills came at a time when OSRA expected "greater open-mindedness and respect for human rights, including trade union rights, and in particular the repeal of Article 02 of Law 90-14, allowing retirees to have the right to create their own union as is the case for the General Union of Algerian Workers (UGTA) and as allowed by legislation in many countries. around the world."

OSRA therefore considers that pensioners consider that they are directly targeted and targeted by the clarifications made in this article, which contradicts ILO laws, as well as the articles of the 2020 Constitution.

OSRA, reiterates its appeal to the President of the Republic, for "the application and respect of the constitution by the various institutions of the Republic and calls on all its members to defend their right to the creation of their own union, by joining this mobilization by all peaceful means they deem useful and effective".

As a reminder, after several weeks of unheeded calls for the withdrawal of the two draft laws on the modalities of exercise of the right to organize and the prevention and settlement of collective labour disputes and the exercise of the right to strike, the autonomous unions are taking action with the announcement of a day of national protest on 28 February.