Thousands of Algerian health workers, including mid wives and medical secretaries, went on a three day strike, Sunday, in protest of the deterioration of social and occupational conditions.
from Kaci Racelma our correspondent in Algiers
Thousands of public hospitals will be affected by the three day health worker strike throughout the country in protest against deteriorating social and occupational standards as well as the « the government’s silence ».
According to the health labour union, although the had government promised to look into their demands nothing has been done yet.
“We have approached the government several times on this issue but nothing has been done » asserted the health labour union during a sit-in held, Sunday, at the Nedir Mhamed hospital in Tizi-Ouzou, Kabylia.
Following a series of unsuccessful protests, algerian paramedics from numberous hospitals joined the strike as their demands for higher wages and better working conditions had not been met.
This is not the first attempt at a nation-wide strike action from the health workers. An earlier three day attempt from February 17 to 19 was suspended by the administrative chamber of the court of Algiers who claimed that notices for the strikes had not been sent to the wilaya authorities, prompting a legal complaint from the Minister of Health who considered this action illegal.
The strikers who consider themselves hurt and deem their working conditions unsatisfactory say that this problem cannot not be solved without negotiations with government representatives.
Ali Kellal, male nurse in Nedir Mhamed hospital in Tizi-Ouzou asserted that “those working in main state hospitals are seriously suffering from the mediocre social and occupational conditions”.
