Meryem Mehdi, ELHIWAR TV

Meryem Mehdi

Algeria-based British Gas branch explains decision to sack employee

Posted 08:08 AM ET

Jan 09, 2010 (BBC Monitoring via COMTEX) -- Following the publication of an article on 4 January 2010 concerning the case of Meryem Mehdi, British Gas Algeria has sent us the following details:

"Ms. Meryem was hired on 15 May 2007 as administration and operations coordinator at our office in Hassi Messaoud. Our working relationship with her had ceased on 6 November 2009. She had been our employee for two and-a-half years.

"During the third quarter of 2009, British Gas Algeria had reorganized the Hassi Messaoud office and the position she held passed from a regime of four working weeks followed by four weeks of rest to a system of regular work, that is to say 5 days of work per week. We offered this position to Ms Mehdi. Ms Mehdi decided to refuse the new position and also an offer of compensation in case of refusal on her part amounting to over 600,000 Algerian dinars (60m centimes). She asked for 20,000,000 Algerian dinars (2bn centimes) in compensation, what British Gas Algeria found unrealistic and unacceptable. Ms Mehdi refused to work under the new regime of work .Therefore her employment had been terminated.

"Ms Mehdi, in her absolute right, brought the case to the labour inspection of Hassi Messaoud in December 2009. Following that hearing, the labour inspection of Hassi Messaoud had notified that the dispute should be settled by the Algerian justice and the case should be referred to the competent court. The exact date of the hearing had not yet been communicated to us.

"Nevertheless, Ms Mehdi had since decided on her own not to pursue the legal means she had herself initiated. Instead, she decided to start a hunger strike. Her decision to pursue such an action had generated media coverage.

"Ms Mehdi is free to bring her claim before the Algerian justice and obviously we respect and comply with any court order in perfect agreement with the Algerian law. British Gas Algeria wishes to find a just solution to this dispute and we are totally committed to do so through legal and appropriate channels. "

Source: Liberte, website, Algiers, in French 9 Jan 10