STUDY LABOUR AND SOCIAL JUSTICE TRADE UNIONS IN ALGERIA History, Survey and Options Nacer Djabi with the cooperation of Fadhila Akkache, Hocine Zobiri and Samir Larabi January 2020 Despite its strength and great potential, the General Union of Algerian Workers(UGTA) is crippled by its own bureaucra­cy, which is closely aligned with local and central authorities’ political and economic interests. The future of independent un­ions will depend on the will­ingness of the acting players to overcome differences of per­spective and leadership con­flicts, and on public authorities’ response to their activity. The current developments in Algeria suggest that the trade union environment is set to see a shake-up – be it among independent unions, within the UGTA or at public authority level.