On Thursday morning, the National Labour Union of Morocco (UNTM) held a press conference on the country’s economic and social situation and its impact on the purchasing power of employees. The conference’s main purpose was to extend the UNTM reading of this situation and to inform the working class and national public opinion of its perception to counter the targeting of Citizens’ purchasing power since the government is too far from fulfilling its roles and responsibility to protect them and ensure minimum conditions of decent living for them;
Barlaman Today has shared this press conference through a live stream on its social media platform and covered the conference’s main highlights.
In the middle of a question asked by the journalists during the conference, regarding whether the National Labour Union is part of the Islamist party and has lost its charisma after the election 2021, Pr. Abdelilah Dahman, the General Secretary’s Second Deputy interrupted, emphasizing that The National Labour Union of Morocco doesn’t belong to the Justice and Development Party (the Islamist party that governed for 10 years), and they’re not acting as the party’s right hand.
The press conference came in the context of developments in the social situation, due to the dramatic increase in the cost of most basic goods and services, causing a dramatic rise in inflation of about 8% according to official figures of the High Commission for Planning (HCP) in Morocco, mainly a 12% rise in the price of food and non-food items by 5% in July last year. The delegate also referred to other impressive figures and ratios, including the deterioration in living standards during the second half of 2022, which reached 79.2%, dragging the living index down to minus 73 points, and therefore, bringing the Household Confidence Index in the current “social government” to its lowest level.
Moreover, the UNTM called on the government to take the initiative of enacting concrete and credible actions to support the vulnerable groups affected, while working for a more significant increase in wages and pensions, stressing that the increase in the minimum wage is not enough to ensure a decent life for the citizen. Let’s keep in mind that the UNTM, among other unions that did not reach the 6% representativeness threshold required to participate in the social dialogue, did not take part in it, unlike the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT), the Democratic Labor Confederation (CDT) and the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM), which made suggestions regarding this minimum wage increase.
The decision of the increase came on the official Gazette No. 7125 of 12 September 2022, in which Decree No. 2.22.606 revolved around establishing the amount of the legal minimum wage in industry, trade, self-employment, and farming.
The New Decree No. 2.22.606 increased the amount of the statutory minimum wage in industry, commerce, and self-employment to fifteen dirhams and fifty-five centimes (15.55 dirhams) for each working hour, and in the agricultural sector to eighty-four dirhams and thirty-seven centimes (84.37 dirhams) for each working day.