Algeria: general strike overwhelms the country

The general federation of the Algerian workers which is considered the main trade unions for working in the country has announced that the working staff in all sectors have responded to a large scale national strike appeal decided yesterday and today, in protest of the deteriorated social conditions and government's reforms including plans to privatize state's owned establishments.

The national secretary in charge of foreign relations at the federation, Abdul Qader al-Maliki, said in a press statement "preliminary information reveals that the rate of responding to the strike is 86%. All sectors are frozen including, economic and educational establishments and the public sectors."

However, the official spokeswoman for the government, Khaleida Toumi, said in a statement to the Algerian government's radio that "the government honors all forms of expressions including strike. Doors of dialogue are always open to find out solutions for the problems of the world labor."