Algeria's teachers, others strike to protest finance bill
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}Teachers, health workers and local civil servants in Algeria have begun a three-day strike over government plans to tighten spending and increase the retirement age as part of the 2017 finance bill.
Some students were given the day off on Monday as schools found there weren't enough teachers.
The head of the National Parents Association, Djamila Khiar, denounced the action by the 12 striking unions, saying teachers "don't have the right to use students" to press demands.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The government, coping with a fall in oil revenue, wants to raise taxes, freeze some salaries and set a minimum retirement age of 60.
Protesters planned a sit-in on Wednesday at Algeria's parliament, which is voting on the finance bill at week's end.