About 2,574 domestic workers in Morocco have a contract with their employer and 2,228 are registered in the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) and benefit from insurance as of August 2020.
Minister of Labor Mohamed Amekraz said Monday that the figure represents an important achievement since Law 19-12, regulating the work of domestic workers in Morocco, went into effect in October 2018.
However, the number of domestic workers who are still working without contracts and social benefits in Morocco remains unknown, due to a lack of statistics.
The Ministry of Labor organized a conference on Monday in collaboration with the Ministry of Solidarity and the CNSS to examine the achievements of Law 19-12 and recommendations to improve it.
According to Amekraz, Law 19-12 is an important legislative text that puts Morocco among the countries that are in line with international labor regulations.
Prior to the law, the minister said, domestic workers in Morocco lacked several rights because they worked informally.
However, he continued, the number of domestic workers who benefit from legal and social advantages is on the rise and will continue to increase.
What is Law 19-12?
Approved in 2016 and adopted in 2018, Law 19-12 requires employers to have written contracts with their domestic workers.
The contract must limit the working hours to 40 hours per week for minors aged 16-18 and 48 hours for adults.
Domestic workers with contracts are entitled to all CNSS benefits, including medical insurance and family allowances.
They also have the right to one day of rest per week and a paid leave after six months of continuous work. The vacation can last for 1.5 days for each month of work.
The law enforces a minimum net salary of MAD 13.46 per hour ($1.45), amounting to at least MAD 1,548 per month ($167.3). Housing and food cannot be deducted from the salary.
While Moroccan officials consider the law to be an achievement, the legal text has received criticism from several international NGOs.
In 2018, Human Rights Watch criticized Morocco’s legal text for the discrepancies between domestic workers and other workers.
The NGO mainly highlighted the discrepancies in working hours and minimal pay. Domestic workers can work up to 48 hours — four hours more than other workers — and receive minimal pay that is 40% less than the minimum salary for other workers.
