In late December last year, the Algerian Parliament fully passed a law recognizing France’s colonial rule in Algeria from 1830 to 1962 as a “state crime,” calling for an official apology from Paris and demanding compensation.
While the law clearly confirms France’s legal responsibility for its colonial past, it also further strained an already fragile diplomatic relationship. Paris called this move hostile, while the text of the law asks France to face crimes ranging from nuclear tests and extra-legal executions to organized torture and the taking of resources. It also asks for “full and fair” compensation for the material and emotional damage caused by these crimes.
Colonialism, however, was not confined to Algerian soil. Even after Algeria gained independence, the old colonial relationship continued, changing its form but still happening through labor inside French territory. After 1962, France systematically allowed in North African immigrant workers, creating a reliance on labor that became a new version of old colonial structures.
Algeria’s independence was a deep historical defeat for France. After this defeat, and sadly continuing today, Algerians have become the target of growing racist stereotypes in France; politicians and media linked them to crime and disorder, stigmatising them in society.
Maghrebi workers in France
After World War II, France faced a serious labor shortage in rebuilding roads, buildings, subway lines and industrial infrastructure. From 1945 onward, North African workers started filling this gap. Known as “Chibani” and “Chibaniyate,” these men and women silently added to France’s wealth as cheap labor. Yet, compared to French workers, they got lower wages, fewer bonuses and smaller pensions. According to reports, this unfairness forced immigrants to live their later years in poverty and hard conditions.
According to Algerian anthropologist Mahfoud Bennoune in “The Maghribin Migrant Workers in France,” these workers encountered racial and class disparities, with 87.2% of Algerians, 81.4% of Moroccans and 70.3% of Tunisians confined to low-paying, semi-skilled or unskilled jobs, while French and European migrant workers were placed in higher-status, better-paid positions. Between 1954 and 1962, the number of Algerian immigrants in France grew fast, surpassing other immigrant groups. France became highly dependent on this workforce to keep its industrial and construction projects running.
These workers faced unfair treatment not only at work but in daily life. In housing, public transport and public spaces, they were labeled “dirty” and “unwanted,” forced to live in crowded, dirty and degrading conditions. Violence, humiliation and being left out were regular parts of daily life for Algerian workers in France.
But why did Algerians leave their country and move to France? In his Les Damnés de la Terre, political philosopher Frantz Fanon wrote how the war ruined Algeria’s peasant economy. About 2.35 million peasants who survived military operations were forced into “Regroupment Centers” surrounded by barbed wire and mines.
Algerians came to France to earn money, send it to their families, and, especially after their homeland was taken and destroyed by France, to get a chance to own land again in Algeria.
The economic benefit France got from this labor was large. According to Bennoune, in 1966, French official Yves Chaigneau said Algerian workers added between 2.3 and 3.5 billion French Francs to the French economy.
Today, France, especially Paris, is presented worldwide as a symbol of romance and wealth. Tourists taking selfies with red berets in metro stations, streets like movie sets and comfortable train trips support this image.
Yet behind this shine lies the hidden suffering of immigrant workers who built modern France. Historian Gerard Noiriel, in his Le Creuset français, provides statistics that nearly 97,000 Algerians were employed in construction and public works in 1975. They were actively participating in the construction of public housing, roads like the tarring of Parisian streets, and urban infrastructure. These jobs were among the heaviest and most dangerous ones in France and were often avoided by French nationals.
Working under the worst conditions
Work and living conditions were tough. Workers had to live in crowded, dirty barracks near construction sites; accidents like collapses, falls and electric shocks were common. Exposure to toxic substances like asbestos and lead raised the risk of lung diseases, poisoning and cancer. In the industry, companies like Renault, Citroen, Simca and Peugeot relied heavily on North African labor.
Historian Rolande Trempe wrote one of the clearest examples of unfair treatment that happened at Penarroya Mining and Metallurgy Company in her “Les luttes des ouvriers immigrés à Peñarroya.” One of the world’s biggest lead producers, it was linked to the Rothschild Group. At its Lyon plant, Tunisian worker Mohamed Salem was killed on Dec. 19, 1971, when a 1,500-kilogram furnace lid fell because of a worn chain.
The company tried to cover it up by hiding the broken chain, replacing it and forcing workers to lie. But a worker brought the old chain to inspectors, showing the truth. This event led Algerian, Tunisian and Moroccan workers to strike together on Feb. 9, 1972.
This full picture clearly shows the issue is not just about immigration. It proves colonialism never ended, only continuing in new forms. The colonial mindset looks for new ways to use people rather than feeling guilt or shame. France once occupied Algeria, then, by using Algerian labor, it built its own wealth.
Today, it still systematically maintains racist and unfair treatment against the descendants of those Algerians and other North Africans.
For a country that claims liberty, equality and brotherhood, this negative treatment of the people it once exploited is a serious historical contradiction. True justice can only come by facing the past and ensuring fairness regarding labour-based inequalities.
By Kwasi Ogyampa
