Morocco moves toward 1,000 dirham monthly raise for higher education staff

Morocco’s Ministry of Higher Education, Scientific Research and Innovation is nearing the rollout of a net monthly pay increase of about 1,000 dirhams for higher education employees, a senior ministry source told Hespress, adding that discussions are still underway with the ministry responsible for the budget to settle the legal and technical mechanism for payment.

The source said the political and administrative decision to grant the increase has been formally taken, but implementation procedures have not yet been completed. The payment, the source added, is expected to be delivered outside the sector’s long awaited basic statute, which has not yet been approved, requiring a separate arrangement that complies with existing legal provisions and avoids any administrative loopholes.

Asked whether the absence of a finalized formula could delay implementation, the official, who requested anonymity, said the ministry could not engage unions without a solid basis or make commitments without prior coordination with the competent financial authorities. The source said there is preliminary agreement in principle with the government bodies overseeing public finances, with execution pending completion of the mechanism.

The source also said that when the ministry’s secretary general and human resources director met with representatives of the most representative unions, the decision to pay the increase had already been taken. The ministry, the official said, does not advance commitments to unions unless the measure has been prepared in advance with the relevant technical ministries and institutions.

According to the source, the government wants the measure implemented within a clear legal and financial framework to allow activation as soon as possible. Once a payment format is finalized, social partners in the sector will be invited to discuss it before the increase is disbursed.

The National Union of Higher Education and University Housing Employees, affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labour, has said the proposal originates from the ministry and is under its full responsibility. In a statement previously carried by Hespress, the union said it pressed for a clear legal basis and stressed the raise must not be treated as a substitute for the overdue basic statute.