Algeria: Dairy Wildcatters Defy Bosses’ System

ALGIERS, March 4 – Wildcatting dairy workers have taken on four enemies in one fell swoop: union misleaders, company bosses, the courts and the government.
Workers at the largest dairy supplying the capital are continuing their February 28 wildcat against the official trade union and its corrupt general secretary, Khelifi Ali. The strike has shut the public-sector Colaital dairy company in Birkhadem, six miles south of here.
The workers have defied a court ruling the wildcat as illegal. The general director of the government’s National Milk Office (ONIL), Fethi Messar, is ordering in police as strike-breakers. The ONIL is also increasing production at 11 other dairies in order to help break the strike. Meanwhile, Messar said he’s willing to “mediate” the conflict.
The strikers are demanding a wage hike and the resignation of Khelifi Ali and his cronies. A minority of the dairy workers are striking, but they’ve blocked the strategic pre-pack unit, closing operations. Public-sector dairy managers and the union misleadership made joint threats to try to prevent the strike.
The struggle began on February 7 when the dairy workers first struck against the company union and for higher wages, permanent jobs for the temporary workers and reinstatement of unjustly-fired workers. The three-day walkout ended with the workers winning a 40 percent pay hike and the permanent hiring of 100 temporary workers, while obtaining the “freezing” of company-union activities, Khelifi Ali’s removal and a general assembly to elect a new union leadership.
Oust Union Traitors,Strike to Enforce It
When the authorities failed to call an assembly, on February 21 the workers held one on their own and voted out the corrupt leaders. But the company union has refused to recognize the vote, leading to the present strike. The courts ruled the strike “illegal” since the bosses’ law does not permit a strike to change the union leadership.
The action hits a key sector here where per capita milk consumption is 137 liters/year (U.S. consumption is 72 liters/year). The strike has already caused a shortage of pasteurized powdered milk in the shops.
Class relations are clear in Algeria. In their struggle, the Birkhadem dairy workers are fighting four enemies: the misleader of the only government-recognized union, Khelifi Ali; the courts; the general director of the public-sector company, Derouiche Mohamed Abdelhamid; and the government’s general director of the ONIL, Fethi Messar. Sellout union, judge, company and government — all in one bag!
It’s clear that real victory cannot come from chopping off only one of the monster’s heads, Khelifi Ali. Workers will also need to defeat company management and the government. Ultimately, only communist revolution can beat that gang-up.