Despite the rainy weather in Rabat, retirees from various organizations within the Moroccan Network of Retired Associations gathered this Sunday afternoon in front of the Parliament to renew their call for an increase in pensions to match the rising cost of living.
Holding banners and chanting slogans, they emphasized that “meeting the demands and protecting retirees’ dignity can only be achieved through the implementation of all the agreements successive governments have committed to, particularly the April 26, 2011 agreement.”
While the government had approved, during the final stages of the 2025 Finance Bill, a full tax exemption for some pensions, most of the protest’s messages focused on the “urgent need for a real increase in pensions to ensure that all retirees, without exception, can cope with the rising cost of living,” as confirmed by Lahcen Moumouch Secretary-General of the Moroccan Teachers’ Retirees Union, a founding member of the Network.
“The Network insists on a 2,000 dirham increase for all retirees, which we formally requested from the government when we submitted our petition several months ago,” Moumouch told Hespress AR.
Mustapha Bouyahi,Coordinator of the “Moroccan Retirees Federation” and another founding member of the Network, emphasized that “today’s protest is just one step in our ongoing struggle, part of a broader action plan we’ve set out.”
He sharply criticized “the paltry pensions retirees are still receiving, frozen for nearly 30 years,” adding that this protest “is a direct response to the government’s neglect of retirees’ demands and their deteriorating situation, despite our numerous appeals to various authorities to address retirees’ dignity and their health and medical benefits.”
Retirees’ frustration was evident throughout the protest, with many pointing out that “the government’s limited tax exemptions for only some pensions are simply not enough, leaving them feeling sidelined and mistreated—especially with rising medical and living costs.”
The protest also saw retirees from different professional sectors, some of whom traveled from various regions. Many criticized the recent tax exemption, calling it “an insult,” as it benefits only a tiny fraction of retirees.
Bouyahi argued, “Only the wealthiest retirees got a 90-dirham pension increase, while some only received 20 dirhams.” He angrily asked, “Is this how the government intends to resolve our situation?”
The Moroccan Network of Retired Associations has reaffirmed its commitment to “unity and action to defend the dignity of this group,” stating that “the street will always support them until their demands are met.”
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