Employment
Law 90-11 on labour relations, with dismissal reviewed by socio-professional bodies
Law 90-11 of 1990 governs individual and collective employment, setting a 40-hour week, and requires a disciplinary procedure before dismissal with reinstatement available as a remedy.
Key rules
- Jurisdiction — Social sections of the tribunals following mandatory conciliation at the labour inspectorate. CNAS administers social insurance.
- Deadline — Notice periods are set by collective agreement, commonly one to three months
- Deadline — Individual disputes must first go to the labour inspectorate for conciliation
- Deadline — Claims are brought before the social section within six months in most cases
Governing law
- Law 90-11 on individual labour relations
- Law 90-02 on the prevention and settlement of collective labour disputes
- Law 90-04 on the settlement of individual labour disputes
- Law 83-11 on social insurance, administered by CNAS
In practice
Algerian dismissal law provides for reinstatement as a primary remedy for an unlawful dismissal, not merely compensation, which is a stronger protection than most of the region and changes the risk calculus for employers considerably. Conciliation before the labour inspectorate is a mandatory precondition to litigation and a claim filed without it is inadmissible. Collective agreements at enterprise and sector level set much of the operative detail on pay scales and notice. The 1990 laws were part of the transition away from the socialist management system and retain strong job-security features from that period. Foreign employment requires a work permit, and social insurance registration with CNAS is the principal compliance obligation.