Moroccan workers, unions protest against approved strike law

Dozens of workers in Morocco protested outside the Parliament on Sunday, demanding the government withdraw its proposed regulatory law on strikes. The demonstrators denounced any infringement on what they consider their “only weapon” for defending their rights and achieving their demands.

Organized by the Moroccan Front Against the Strike and Retirement Laws, protesters raised slogans such as “No to unjust and absurd laws,” “The right to strike is a universal and constitutional right that must be defended,” and “Hey cowardly officials, do not humiliate the workers.”

This protest comes amid growing union anger over the government’s move to push forward the strike law for detailed discussion in Parliament.

Abdellah Aghmimt, the national secretary of the Democratic Orientation National Education Union, stated that the protest sends a clear message to the government that the proposed law is a constraint and criminalization of a constitutional right.

Aghmimt, also a member of the Moroccan Front Against the Strike and Retirement Laws, told Hespress that the government’s step renders the exercise of striking ineffective and does not address the workers’ demands. He noted that the law was referred to Parliament for discussion without any real dialogue with the workforce, expressing surprise at its swift progression through Parliament.

He called for the immediate withdrawal of the proposed regulatory law, emphasizing that strikes in Morocco have been conducted since the 1960s without significant repercussions for employers and for limited days.

He further urged the government to respond to workers’ demands, especially given the current context of declining wages, social protection vulnerabilities, and privatization pressures on social sectors.

Aghmimt described the proposed law as “extremely dangerous,” necessitating unity among Moroccan workers against it. Despite the significant implications of this decision, the turnout for the protest was described as “modest” by union representatives.

Hamid Majdi, coordinator of the Intersection Network for Workers’ Rights and a member of the aforementioned front, stated that this protest is a field demonstration against the government’s desire to pass a law that fundamentally criminalizes the right to strike.

Majdi emphasized that striking is “the only means for Moroccan workers and unions to defend their rights and gains.” He noted that since the era of former Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, laws infringing on rights have been passed, similar to the current attempts to push through the strike law.

The coordinator pointed out that Morocco is currently facing a severe assault on its working class, as well as the struggling and middle classes, and that the proposed law is progressing alongside the weakening of unions for various reasons.

Protesters hope this demonstration will mark the beginning of “national initiatives rejecting the proposed strike law and various other laws that threaten the rights of Moroccan workers,” as they stated.