The Casablanca air traffic controllers’ union, affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT), has been ordered by the Court of First Instance of Casablanca to halt its planned social movement, which was set to begin on Tuesday, February 21, 2023.
The court decision, made in response to a referral from the National Airports Office (ONDA), suspends the strike of the air traffic controllers, which the ONDA has deemed “illegal” and an individual interest rather than a defense of collective interests.
The ONDA argues that the planned work-to-rule or slowdown, which involves one plane take-off every fifteen minutes for a ten-day period, would undermine the public service of air transport in an abusive manner.
The temporary suspension is pending a definitive ruling on the ONDA’s referral, which calls for the definitive suspension of the strike.
In response, the union office of air traffic controllers in Casablanca (CDT) has postponed, but not canceled, the protest movement, citing surprise at the decision to suspend the strike and criticizing the ONDA for failing to manage the social demand and for dragging the issue outside the framework of social dialogue.
The union office calls on the ONDA to keep its commitments and engage in a serious and responsible dialogue to achieve real social peace.
The ONDA counters that the demands expressed by the union office in a press release on February 15 were extremely vague, and that a social peace agreement was already in place with the National Unified Board of Air Traffic Controllers, whose terms of execution are in progress.
A meeting between the ONDA and the Unified National Bureau of Air Traffic Controllers was scheduled for the end of the morning, followed by another meeting with the supervision in the afternoon.
The temporary suspension of the strike is based on a case law of the Court of Cassation, which guarantees the right to strike but not as an absolute right that would undermine public services of a strategic nature, such as air transport.
The ONDA argues that the union’s planned social movement would do just that, and seeks a definitive suspension of the strike.
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