Government and unions agree to maintain, work together on strike regulating law

Younes Skouri, Minister of Economic Integration, Small Enterprise, Employment and Competencies, revealed that the government agreed with the unions not to withdraw the draft organizational law specifying the conditions and modalities for exercising the right to strike.

Skouri said, in a press conference today following this week’s government council: “The government agreed with the unions not to withdraw the draft strike law for institutional considerations.” Negotiations on the matter will be completed in January, said the official.

Prior to this announcement, in informed source explained to Hespress AR that the project, which the unions are demanding to withdraw from the House of Representatives, was discussed at a meeting of the Ministerial Council headed by King Mohammed VI.

It seems that the easiest way to pass this project is through a consensus between the unions, the government, and the General Confederation of Moroccan Enterprises, and the introduction of the amendments agreed upon in Parliament, where the government has a parliamentary majority that enables it to pass the amendments it wants to introduce to any project.

Mustapha Baitas, the government’s official spokesman, confirmed that “the government is open to hearing from the unions regarding the draft organizational law that defines the conditions and modalities for exercising the right to strike.”

“The strike law was one of the thorniest issues, the government is now open to listening to the unions, there are a number of issues that summarize the government’s view of this issue and how to legalize and manage it,” he stated.

The government official indicated that “in principle, the strike remains a constitutional right,” noting that “a formula for this project must be agreed upon in a way that evokes the interests of the employees and the interests of the operator.”

Baitas added that “all these elements will be discussed without taboos, and an advanced formula will be reached that takes into account the interests of both parties and is based on freedoms and rights.”