In order to to protest against “the government’s wait-and-see attitude regarding its grievances” the National Coordination of the taxi and professional sector in Morocco is threatening to observe a national strike in the last days of June.
This decision follows a meeting held at the end of last week which brought together the trade unions represented within the National Coordination of the taxi sector and the professionals, indicates a joint press release from the latter.
The Coordination added that it would soon meet to decide on the day of the strike and sit-in demonstration, as well as the place where the professionals will meet to protest. The coordination, which is made up of eight unions (minus the most representative unions, UMT, UGTM, CDT, etc.) and which constantly brandishes the threat of a strike, says in a press release that it reserves the right to organize all forms of struggle to protect the situation of professional drivers in accordance with the regulations.
She justifies the reason for her protest, to ” the absence of a serious and responsible dialogue that takes into account a solution to this crisis which is hitting professionals in the road transport sector hard and, in particular, that of taxis, due in particular to the increase in fuel prices “. The statement from the Coordination also indicates that the exceptional subsidy for road transport professionals is very derisory and that a large number of professionals have been deprived of it. As a reminder, the coordination had already canceled a previous strike plan in Casablanca, last May, in view of promises made by the city authorities, to open a responsible dialogue. In vain it seems.
Seasoned trade unionist Abderrahim Amayach, general secretary of a CDT-affiliated trucking workers’ union, told MoroccoLatestNews ” We are suffering greatly from the rise in fuel prices. This comes after Covid or already we felt a lot “. And to describe the disarray of the carriers “ We had observed a strike with the road hauliers last March which resulted, as you know, in the exceptional subsidy for road transport professionals, except that at the time the diesel was at 11 dhs per liter and that today it at more than 15.6 dhs depending on the region, it is an increase of more than 4 dhs “. And the trade unionist added “This subsidy when it is received (30% do not benefit from it) is not enough for us and this is dramatic for road professionals of all categories (taxis, public transport, goods, etc.) who do not return more in their account “.
In anticipation of possible forms of protest, the trade unionist will tell us again, ” Also with our partners (the five most representative power plants) we consult regularly to define the action to be taken in the future because the situation is really unbearable. “. Abderrahim Amayach will finally open a parenthesis, “ In addition, the subsidy must return in principle and in all ethics to the drivers and not to the owners of approvals who sometimes hold several, because the subsidy goes to the approval and to the vehicles to the great displeasure of the professional drivers. It is a problem of conscience, between two entities which is independent of the administration “.
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