On February 5 and 6, workers in Morocco went on a general strike to protest the passage of the strike law, the high cost of living in light of soaring prices, and unprecedented tension between trade unions and the government.
The general strike was called for by five central unions: the Democratic Confederation of Labour, the Moroccan Union of Labour, the National Union of Labour in Morocco, the Federation of Democratic Trade Unions and the Democratic Organization of Labour, in addition to a number of professional and sectoral organizations and unions.
The participation rate on the first day of the general strike reached 84.9%, according to the Moroccan Confederation of Labour, one of the largest trade union centers in Morocco, stating in a statement that “the wheels of production and movement stopped in all components of the economic fabric, including the service, agricultural and commercial sectors, and in all institutions, departments and services in the public service and ministerial sectors.” Educational institutions at various levels and fields were “completely paralyzed,” and the strike included vital and strategic sectors, production and services, both public and private.
The national offices of the Democratic Confederation of Labour, the National Union of Labour in Morocco, the Federation of Democratic Trade Unions and the Democratic Organization of Labour, which called for the general strike only on the fifth of this month (unlike the Moroccan Labour Union, which called for a two-day strike), said that the participation rate in the “warning” general strike exceeded 80%, according to a statement.
“The strike is in defense of the historical rights and gains of the working class, and in protest of the crisis social situation, as a result of the nature of the social policy choices that resulted in skyrocketing prices, unemployment, inflation, and the deterioration of the purchasing power of large groups and segments,” the unions said in a statement.
Workers gathered in front of their union headquarters and raised slogans denouncing the government’s decisions, while a mass march took place in the northern city of Tetouan.
Moroccan workers protested against “the restriction of trade union freedoms and the restriction of the right to strike, which is constitutionally guaranteed and guaranteed by international conventions, through the suppressive draft law passed by the government based on its numerical majority and outside the methodology of responsible dialogue and negotiation to reach consensus,” the same source explains.
The unions also reject a government plan to merge the National Fund for Social Reserve Organizations (for government employees) and the National Social Security Fund (for private sector employees), in an attempt to address the crisis of the Fund for State Employees, which is suffering from a significant decline in reserves and threatens imminent depletion, unlike the Fund for Private Sector Employees, which is intended for the working class in the private sector.
While the Moroccan working class was expressing its anger over the draft strike law, the House of Representatives approved this legislative text in its second reading on Wednesday, after the House of Councillors had previously approved it.
The general strike was supported by large sections of Moroccan society and international labor forces, including parties, associations, and sectoral bodies.
The Tunisian General Labor Union sent a cable of support to the Moroccan labor movement, in which it considered that “targeting trade union freedoms, restricting the right to strike and ignoring the legitimate demands of trade unions, in light of the deterioration of the purchasing power of all citizens, is a flagrant violation of workers’ rights and a violation of the principles of fair social dialogue.”
“We in the Tunisian General Labour Union, while affirming our full support for the Moroccan trade union movement, salute its steadfastness in the face of these unjust policies, and emphasize that respect for trade union rights and social justice remain the main pillar of any serious and responsible dialogue,” the cable said.
The unions believe that the draft strike law was approved without a “participatory approach.” They accuse the government of “singling out” the preparation of this legislative text and believe that its provisions strip the working class of its main weapon, the strike, and its historical gains, in order to satisfy the bourgeoisie and capital.
The unions also say the recent general strike was a “warning”, vowing to escalate if the government doesn’t back down.
This article was translated from an article originally published in Arabic on Madaar.
