Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch signed a 1,500 MAD raise agreement with the four major education unions on Sunday after several nationwide schoolteacher strikes and lengthy absences from classrooms.
This agreement came following a series of meetings aimed at determining the financial cost of settling the sectoral files and increasing teachers’ salaries.
The ministerial commission, composed of Minister of National Education Chakib Benmoussa, Minister of Economic Inclusion and Employment Younes Sekkouri, and Minister in charge of the budget, Fouzi Lekjaa–as well as representatives of the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT), the General Union of Workers of Morocco (UGTM), the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) and the Democratic Federation of Labor (FDT)–all attended the meeting.
Akhannouch had called on striking teachers to come back to work, promising to improve certain provisions of their status.
Teacher protests have occurred primarily due to salary stagnation, unfulfilled promises of bonuses and benefits, and the disparate treatment of contract teachers as compared to teachers affiliated with the Ministry. Other areas of concern have included the promotion structure, quantity of teaching hours, and removal of the age stipulation for the entrance exam.