May 1: “We will, together, work to launch” the reform of the Labor Code, assures Sekkouri

The government will work to increase the minimum wage by 5% in the sectors of industry, commerce and the liberal professions, as well as in agriculture, announced on Sunday the Minister for Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment and Skills, Younes Sekkouri.

In a speech on the occasion of the celebration of May Day, Mr. Sekkouri noted that the government will mobilize for employers to apply this increase in September 2023, adding that the Executive has worked last year , for the increase in the minimum wage in the sectors of industry, commerce and the liberal professions by 5 and 10%, in application of its commitments within the framework of social dialogue.

With regard to retirement pensions, the Minister indicated that the government has worked to resolve a problem affecting more than 80% of retirees who were deprived of their pensions, namely the contribution threshold of 3,240 days with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), the equivalent of 11 years, noting that the executive has reduced this threshold to 1,320 days of contribution, or about 4 years of work only.

“More than that, we have worked to ensure the recovery of the contributions paid by the employer for this fringe of citizens,” he said.

With regard to the social climate within the production units, Mr. Sekkouri specified that the government carried out a significant number of control visits during the past social year, and this within the framework of respect for the law, of its primacy and proper application.

Thus, 57,884 individual disputes were handled, 65,450 complaints out of 129,383 were settled (51%), and 4,930 dismissed employees were reinstated, he said, adding that by nature, complaints related to dismissals come first. disputes settled during the financial year (54,487 complaints, i.e. 42%), followed by those relating to wages (27,815 complaints, 21%), working hours (14,229 complaints, 11%), then contracts and to the organization of work (11,817 complaints, 9%).

Mr. Sekkouri also indicated that during the period indicated, the interventions of the Labor Inspectorate prevented the outbreak of 484 strikes in 473 establishments, with a total number of 40,909 workers, as well as allowing draw up 282 minutes of total settlement (58%) and 119 minutes of partial settlement (24%), in addition to the establishment of 71 agreement protocols (5%).

With regard to collective labor disputes handled at the level of other reconciliation mechanisms, Mr. Sekkouri indicated that 60 disputes out of 157 were settled at the level of the provincial commissions of inquiry and conciliation, specifying that of the 24 disputes submitted at the National Commission of Inquiry and Conciliation, 7 were settled.

Regarding the revision of the Labor Code, the Minister indicated that “we will, together, work to launch this project”, noting that the Labor Code has not been updated for almost two decades.

This legislative project will be an opportunity to reconcile the points of view of workers’ and employers’ representatives in order to support the investment necessary for the creation and protection of employment, noted Mr. Sekkouri.

With regard to the organic law defining the conditions and procedures for exercising the right to strike, the Minister affirmed that “we have been working assiduously for some time on its elaboration within a consensual, responsible framework and in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution”.

And to specify that this organic law is able to establish a balanced relationship whose priorities are the preservation of the rights of workers to exercise the right to strike, without infringing the legitimate rights to the exercise of the freedom to work and the priorities of the national economy, as is the case for most countries in the world.

Referring to the improvement of the situation of workers, Mr. Sekkouri highlighted the possibilities offered by collective labor agreements, which involve the company, and associate the employer and a representative of the employees in order to build a healthy social climate. with mechanisms that go beyond the rights stipulated in the Labor Code.

To this end, the government has worked on the promulgation of the decree establishing the National Prize for the Collective Labor Agreement, with the aim of encouraging companies and social partners to sign and effectively implement the provisions of these agreements. for the benefit of workers and the national economy, he said.

The minister also assured that the government has made all the arrangements for the launch of the Training Academy in the area of ​​work, employment and the social climate and the National Observatory of Social Dialogue, two bodies that stem of the National Charter for the Institutionalization of Social Dialogue.

The government official also mentioned people who have not had the chance to work or those looking for a job, study, train and strive to enter the labor market, noting that “the government created an ambitious program called Awrach, the first edition of which benefited more than 100,000 citizens, with nearly 60% of beneficiaries living in rural areas and 30% women.

To continue the implementation of this program, the government endeavored, at the beginning of 2023, to strengthen the second edition of the “Awrach” program in order to give 150,000 beneficiaries the opportunity to discover the labor market for the first time and to acquire experience that promotes access to available job opportunities.

Main points of the Minister’s speech

– The government has launched three fundamental reforms aimed at improving the social sectors of health, higher education and national education and primary education;

– The government has worked to improve wages and working conditions for the benefit of large categories of civil servants who were aggrieved;

– Scale 7 has been abolished for administrative and technical assistants;

– The promotion quota in this grade has been increased to 36% in the civil service, in addition to the creation of paid paternity leave of 15 days in the civil service;

– The government will work to increase the minimum wage by 5% in the sectors of industry, commerce and the liberal professions, as well as in agriculture;

– The government has resolved a problem affecting more than 80% of retirees who were unable to meet the contribution threshold of 3,240 days with the National Social Security Fund (CNSS), by reducing this threshold to 1,320 contribution days;

– Some 57,884 individual disputes were handled, 65,450 complaints out of 129,383 were settled (51%), and 4,930 dismissed employees were reinstated;

– Some 2.4 million self-employed workers have been registered with the Compulsory Health Insurance (AMO) during the last 18 months, in addition to 340,000 members of their families, ie a total of 2.74 million workers and dependents;

– 3.76 million beneficiaries were also registered under AMO Tadamon;

– It was agreed to create a social monitoring committee composed of representatives of the government and the social partners to develop an integrated vision on the subject of improving the purchasing power of the working class, with a view to the development of the 2024 finance law;

– The government injected five billion dirhams into the National Office of Electricity and Drinking Water to maintain the price of electricity in Morocco at their current levels;

– The government has subsidized butane gas with more than 22 billion dirhams.

LNT with MAP

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