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Rabat – Morocco’s government is working to reach an agreement with the striking teacher unions as soon as possible, Government spokesperson Mustapha Baitas said on Thursday.
Baitas said that the unions will hold a meeting on Friday to follow up on Thursday’s meeting and identify solutions to the issues discussed, including wage increases. He said that the unions in question and government are “accelerating” the pace.
Increasing salaries remains the main point of contention between the two parties, with the striking teachers demanding a pay rise commensurate with the extra workload they feel they have been given.
However, Education Minister Chakib Benmoussa told a House of Representatives session that the reform “does not cover raising salaries” and that this issue should be discussed separately.
Teacher unions in Morocco have been on strike for several weeks, protesting a new government reform that they say gives them more work without proper compensation.
The unions have also expressed frustration with the government’s negotiation efforts, claiming that they are misleading and they “exclude the true representatives of educators.”
They also showed anger after the Ministry of National Education decided to deduct salaries from striking teachers, arguing that such a measure infringes on their right to strike.
The strikes have left parents frustrated as their children’s education has effectively stopped with no one available to teach them.
