The Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) on Tuesday organized a national general strike in the civil service and protest sit-ins in front of the seats of wilayas and prefectures in various Moroccan cities. A strike which was crowned according to the organizers.
In front of the headquarters of the wilaya of the capital, Rabat, demonstrators, members of the Democratic Confederation of Labour, chanted slogans against the Executive and the Head of Government, Aziz Akhannouch. They held up banners calling on the government to implement its commitments and obligations contained in the agreements of April 30 last year.
Khalid Alami Houir, deputy secretary general of the CDT, considered that the organization of the strike and the demonstrations which took place in the various cities were a “success”. These strikes would illustrate the situation that the working class of Morocco is experiencing due to the repercussions of high prices and the abandonment by the government of its commitments.
Houir told MoroccoLatestNews that “the crisis that Morocco is going through is due to the absence of real solutions from the government, it cannot continue like this. Moroccans continue to pay the price for the choices and mismanagement of successive governments”.
The trade unionist indicated that precariousness and corruption cost more than 50 billion dirhams in Morocco, stressing that this figure would largely cover salary increases and the financing of pension funds.
As for the measures taken by the government to deal with the situation, they “ have had no impact on the daily lives of Moroccan families,” according to him.
The Deputy Secretary General of the CDT further indicated that the situation in the country has deteriorated due to the exceptional inflation rates and it “automatically imposes on the government an increase in wages instead of subsidizing a capital group which does not has no effect on employment” accusing the government and the measures announced of ” destroy the middle classes which represent a safety valve for the social balance”, believing that it is she who pays the high price.
Regarding the figures of the strike, Houir estimated that he saw the participation of ” tens of thousands of employees who got involved and participated in the protests,” emphasizing that ” some sectors had a participation rate of more than 70%, such as education, higher education, local authorities, environment, finance and culture”.
Khalid Alami Houir pointed out that other sectors recorded lower rates, amounting to 40%, despite the threats posed by “restrictions and the threat of wage cuts among strikers”.
Sources in the ministries concerned indicated that they did not have precise data on the rate of participation in the strike and the sectors which experienced it.
This social movement took place while the head of government, Aziz Akhannouch, received the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises (CGEM), led by Chakib Alj, as part of the meetings of the April round of social dialogue.
The meeting saw the presence of Nadia Fettah, Minister of Economy and Finance, Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Labor and Skills, Fouzi Lekjaa, Minister Delegate to the Minister of Economy and Finance, in charge of the Budget, as well as the Secretary General of the Ministry Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of the Digital Transition and Administrative Reform.
Last week, Aziz Akhannouch, still within the framework of the meetings of the April round of social dialogue, held a meeting with the delegations of the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT) and the General Union of Workers in Morocco (UGTM ). He should continue this cycle with a meeting with a delegation from the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) very soon.