Rabat – The Democratic Labor Confederation (CDT) plans to hold a national general strike on Wednesday, February 13, according to a statement received by Morocco World News.
The secretary general of CDT, Ali Lotfi, said that the union decided to protest because of delays in “social dialogue” negotiations.
Lotfi also accused the Moroccan government of hampering the social dialogue, which King Mohammed VI had urged the government to conduct quickly.
Labor unions in Morocco have been calling on the government to increase government employees’ wages.
Lotfi accused the government of presenting insufficient offers to increase wages.
He added that CDT “was forced to carry out this strike because the Moroccan working class is suffering from low purchasing power as there are continuous rises in prices of basic food products and excessive demand.”
Lotfi argued that the government “has no real political determination to negotiate with labor unions and employers.”
He also threatened that the organization would file a complaint against the Moroccan government to the International Labor Office. The complaint, according to Lotfi, aims “to draw attention to the government’s gross violations of the rights of workers and labor unions.”
On July 29, 2018, King Mohammed VI expressed his concern over the socio-economic disparities that hamper Morocco’s development during his speech on the eve of Throne Day.
The King urged the government to take concrete measures by “restructuring national social welfare programs and submitting proposals for evaluations.”
He also called on the government to reinforce social dialogue because it is “necessary and it should be an ongoing process.”
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He also urged the government to meet more frequently with labor unions “regardless of the potential outcome of that dialogue.”
In January, Morocco’s Government Spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi said that the dialogue would continue between the minister of the interior and the most representative unions.
“The social dialogue is not stalling,” El Khalfi said.
He also added that the head of government, Saad Eddine El Othmani, ordered Minister of the Interior Abdelouafi Laftit to lead the social dialogue on behalf of the government.
