Chers frères de Numilog,
nous sommes un syndicat de lutte avec une forte présence dans la logistique, et avec une majorité de membres immigrés, y compris de vos terres. Nous avons appris votre combat aujourd’hui et nous voulons vous exprimer notre solidarité. Nous sommes solidaires avec vous parce que vous n’avez pas laissé seuls les trois camarades qui ont organisé le syndicat pour améliorer les conditions de vie de tous. Nous sommes avec vous parce que vous avez réagi à la répression par la lutte et que vous luttez encore aujourd’hui pour obtenir la réintégration dans le travail que la Cour vous a reconnu, mais que le gouvernement n’impose pas à l’entreprise.
En 2019, nous avons suivi avec une grande participation la lutte du peuple et des travailleurs algériens contre le système politique corrompu, expression du système capitaliste qui donne aux riches le pouvoir d’exploiter et d’opprimer les grandes masses. En Italie aussi, les patrons licencient souvent les travailleurs qui s’organisent avec notre syndicat pour améliorer les conditions de tous ; en Italie aussi, le gouvernement et la police répriment trop souvent les travailleurs qui font la grève pour défendre leurs conditions au lieu des patrons qui ne respectent pas les lois et les contrats.
C’est pourquoi votre lutte est notre lutte. Ces jours-ci, les travailleurs de plusieurs entreprises de logistique sont en grève pour des mesures plus efficaces contre le Covid-19, pour améliorer leurs conditions de travail et contre les licenciements. Les travailleurs de Fedex-TNT, une entreprise multinationale de logistique sous contrôle américain, luttent contre un plan de restructuration impliquant jusqu’à 6 300 licenciements en Europe, et en solidarité avec les travailleurs belges déjà touchés par 671 licenciements.
Le 29 janvier, nous participerons à une grève générale pour obtenir le renouvellement des contrats de travail nationaux, pour un salaire garanti pour les nombreux chômeurs à cause de la crise, pour la réduction du temps de travail sans diminution des salaires, pour faire payer aux riches la crise avec un impôt sur la fortune et pour l’égalité des droits pour les travailleurs immigrés.
Nous nous engageons à faire connaître votre combat aux travailleurs italiens et immigrés, et à promouvoir une solidarité concrète avec votre lutte.
S.I. Cobas – Italie
Commission pour la Solidarité internationale
Cari fratelli di Numilog,
siamo un sindacato di lotta con una forte presenza nella logistica, e con molti membri immigrati, anche dalle vostre terre. Apprendiamo oggi della vostra lotta e vogliamo esprimere la nostra solidarietà. Siamo solidali con voi perché non avete lasciato soli i tre compagni che hanno organizzato il sindacato per migliorare le condizioni di tutti. Siamo con voi perché alla repressione avete reagito con la lotta e ancora oggi state lottando per ottenere il reintegro sul posto di lavoro che vi è stato riconosciuto dal Tribunale, ma che il governo non impone al padrone.
Nel 2019 abbiamo seguito con grande partecipazione la lotta del popolo e dei lavoratori algerini contro il sistema corrotto, espressione del sistema capitalistico che dà ai ricchi il potere di sfruttare e opprimere la grande massa. Anche in Italia i padroni spesso licenziano i lavoratori che si organizzano con il nostro sindacato per migliorare le condizioni di tutti; anche in Italia troppo spesso il governo e la polizia reprimono i lavoratori che scioperano per difendere le loro condizioni al posto dei padroni che non rispettano leggi e contratti.
Per questo la vostra lotta è la nostra lotta. In questi giorni i lavoratori di diverse imprese della logistica sono in sciopero per ottenere misure più efficaci contro il contagio, per migliorare le loro condizioni e per il ritiro dei licenziamenti. I lavoratori di Fedex-TNT, una multinazionale della logistica sotto controllo americano, sono in lotta contro un piano di ristrutturazione che prevede fino a 6.300 licenziamenti in Europa, e in solidarietà con i lavoratori belgi già colpiti da 671 licenziamenti.
Il 29 gennaio parteciperemo a uno sciopero generale per ottenere il rinnovo dei contratti nazionali di lavoro, per un salario garantito ai tanti disoccupati per la crisi, per la riduzione dell’orario di lavoro a parità di salario, per far pagare la crisi ai ricchi con una forte imposta patrimoniale e per la parità di diritti ai lavoratori immigrati.
Ci impegniamo a far conoscere la vostra lotta ai lavoratori italiani e immigrati, e a promuovere una concreta solidarietà con la vostra lotta.
SI Cobas
Commissione per la Solidarietà internazionale
Striking Numilog workers in November 2020
By Shelagh Smith – Section Syndicale Numilog on Facebook
The strike of the workers of Numilog in Bejaia, Kabylia, is playing an important role in building confidence and solidarity in the Algerian workers movement. Their conflict with the transport and logistics firm, part of the huge Cevital group, began in July when three workers were sacked for setting up a trade union branch of the national UGTA union. The workers had been complaining about their working conditions, for example the lack of rest periods, long hours, the absence of safety standards, humiliation and repeated threats of dismissal, as well as low wages. The workforce came out on strike in solidarity with the three trade unionists, whereupon 195 of the 250 employees were sacked for being members of the union. Since then they have led an active strike, with marches, meetings and sit-ins.
On November 18th the courts ruled in the workers’ favour and ordered their reinstatement, but the Numilog management has refused to budge. The Ministry of Labour and the local authorities in Béjaïa have done nothing to help enforce the ruling, so on 25th November the workers travelled to the capital Algiers to hold a sit-in at the Ministry. Ten workers were arrested, as well as two members of the Parti Socialiste des Travailleurs (PST – translated as the Socialist Workers Party): Kamel Aïssat and Samir Larabi. They were all released later the same day. The PST has been actively involved in building solidarity with the Numilog workers. Both Kamel and Samir have contributed to MENA Solidarity publications.
The PST is calling for solidarity with three other activists who are due to appear in court on 8th December on charges of being in a peaceful gathering (“attroupement non armée”): Said Benarab of the FFS, Lemnouar Hamamouche of the PST and Yanis Adjilia, currently in prison. The accusation goes back several months, and is another example of the legal system being used to repress freedom of expression.
The struggle at Numilog has been inspirational for other workers. In September the workers of the brewery company BSA, in El Kseur, ended their strike after winning their demands. They stressed the importance of taking the strike out beyond the workplace, the importance of confidence and solidarity, and crucially the huge contribution of the Numilog strike with its example of courage and determination.
Numilog is part of the Cevital group, the largest private conglomerate in Algeria, created by Issad Rebrab, whose personal fortune is £3.9 billion dollars. Although his business thrived under ousted president Bouteflika, he backed the protests against him which began in February 2019, and called Cevital a “citizen enterprise”. Later that year he was sentenced to six months in prison for tax, banking and customs offenses, in an anti-corruption campaign seen by many as a ploy to defuse the movement and settle scores. The majority of the workers at Numilog took part in marches in Béjaïa to unlock the investments of the Cevital group at the time, and now find themselves on the streets, blaming Rebrab for his ingratitude. This is not the first time that companies in the Cevital group have refused to recognise trade unions, installing house unions instead.
The struggle at Numilog brings into focus the reality of workers’ rights in Algeria today, where despite legal guarantees, private and public/private firms sack workers who organise union branches, and the labour inspectorate turns a blind eye. This is in the context of the continuing popular movement for a complete system change, a civilian not a military state, and a defence of human rights and democratic freedoms, including freedom of the press and workers’ rights. The “New Algeria” claimed by the regime is trampling on all of these.