Moroccan Workers to Benefit from Morocco-Sicily Agreement on Migrant Labor

Rabat – Sicily’s and Morocco’s labor groups signed a deal on March 28 to enable Moroccan workers to obtain vocational training in Morocco in preparation for seasonal employment in the Italian island Sicily, according to a press release from the Italian page Migrantswork.

Following their training in Morocco, trainees will work as seasonal employees for businesses in Valledolmo, in the province of Palermo, and Bronte, in the province of Catania.

The Sicily Foreign Workers Association, the Human Solidarity Consortium and the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM) convened in Palermo to sign the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).

This agreement “opens new labor corridors, as provided for in the Consolidated Text on Immigration,” the same source added.

The UGTM of Fez will be in charge of supporting and sponsoring the training in Morocco as well as recruiting trainees. This initiative welcomes all Italian businesses who would like to participate to visit the dedicated portal Migrantswork.

In order to combat labor exploitation, the agreement’s proponents anticipate that it will make it easier for Italian families and businesses to locate and hire qualified workers who speak the language.

Speaking of the risks that may encounter workers during their journey, Regional Chairman of the Foreign Workers Association, Paolo Ragusa, said that “we want to offer migrants appropriate alternatives to the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea.”

Building on Ragusa’s statement, Sicily’s Regional Councilor for social policies Nuccia Albano, said that “those coming from abroad can in this way be integrated more quickly and in a better way into the enterprises seeking qualified manpower.”

“We are proud to open new prospects for international cooperation, following King Mohammed VI’s directives, which emphasize the importance of limiting illegal immigration and strengthening international partnerships,” said Fez’s Provincial Secretary of the UGTM Driss Abelhad.

Migrantswork is the first online platform dedicated to the private placement of foreign nationals, enabling Italian families and businesses to look for and recruit qualified workers with language skills, thus preventing the issue of exploitation.