Rabat – Tension rises within Morocco’s higher education sector as civil servants prepare for a nationwide strike on January 20, to protest what they describe as the supervising ministry’s clear threats from earlier promises tied to their professional status.
The National Union of Higher Education and University Housing Officials, affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT), said the strike will take place alongside a sit-in outside the Ministry of Higher Education in Rabat.
Union leaders described the move as a last resort after months of frustration and unanswered demands.
At the heart of the dispute stands Article 84 of draft Law No. 59.24, a bill intended to reorganize the governance and functioning of Morocco’s higher education system. It was approved last month at the committee level.
Union representatives argue that recent changes to the text erased any explicit commitment to draft a special statute for higher education civil servants, leaving their professional status outside the core framework of the reform.
For employees, this absence carries real consequences, as it leaves their rights, career paths, and protections without a clear legal anchor.
Staff members across universities and student housing facilities fear that vague language in the law could weaken their standing rather than strengthen it, according to a statement the union released.
The union also accused the ministry of stalling dialogue, pointing to repeated delays in holding meetings with staff representatives. The group warned that a law that mentions institutions but overlooks the workers who sustain them risks legal ambiguity and unequal treatment.
Union leaders insist on a single, inclusive statute that covers all higher education civil servants and ensures equal rights without exception. Such a framework, they argue, would also allow gradual improvements that respond to the sector’s evolving needs.
Calling on employees to mobilize in large numbers, the union described the January 20 action as the opening step in a broader protest plan. It stressed its determination to pursue all lawful avenues until the ministry honors its commitments and restores trust with the people who keep the higher education system running.
