Algeria: PSI and IUF condemn blocking of SNAPAP Congress
Jun 15, 2026
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Public Services International (PSI) and the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations (IUF) express their deep concern over the continued attacks on trade union rights facing their affiliate, the National Autonomous Union of Public Administration Personnel (SNAPAP), in Algeria.
SNAPAP’s National Congress was scheduled to take place on 10-12 April 2026 at the Safir Hotel in Algiers. The repeated requests for authorization since 2024 remained unanswered by the Algerian authorities. The administration refused to receive the union’s final request, submitted through a bailiff on 10 March 2026, making it impossible for the Congress to proceed.
The blocking of the Congress is a serious violation of trade union democracy. The Congress was particularly significant because it represented an important effort to restore unity within the organization. Under the supervision of 21 observers, 78 delegates had registered to participate, including 38 delegates from the dissident faction—the so-called “clone” of SNAPAP established in 2006.
This latest obstruction forms part of a broader pattern of repression against independent trade unionism in Algeria. SNAPAP’s national headquarters has remained administratively closed since 2019 without a judicial decision, several union leaders face criminal prosecution or have been forced into exile, and the authorities continue to support the dissident faction led by Mr. Belkacem Felfoul, who is serving a sixth consecutive term despite Article 56 of Algerian Law No. 23-02 limiting trade union mandates to two terms.
In July 2025, PSI and the IUF jointly referred the situation to the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), supporting SNAPAP’s complaint alleging violations of ILO Conventions 87 and 98 on freedom of association and collective bargaining.
PSI and the IUF call on the Algerian authorities to allow SNAPAP to hold its Congress without further delay, end all interference in the union’s internal affairs, and respect Algeria’s international obligations on freedom of association.
Workers must be free to organize, elect their representatives and determine the future of their unions without state interference.
PSI and the IUF call on the Algerian authorities to allow SNAPAP to hold its Congress without further delay, end all interference in the union’s internal affairs, and respect Algeria’s international obligations on freedom of association
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