Workers From French Consulate In Algiers Strike

Sources reported on 3 February 2010 that local workers at the General Consulate of France in Algiers, the capital, are carrying out an open-ended strike due to an ongoing wage dispute. Approximately 60 percent of local staff are taking part in the protest action, which reportedly began on 1 February and has paralysed operations at the diplomatic headquarters. Employees are demanding that the consulate maintain contractual agreements to pay workers in euros. Company officials indicated that recent local banking legislation now prohibits payment of wages in anything but local currency. The strike has seriously affected consular services, such as the issuance of visas, passports and identity cards.