Morocco's Main Unions Gear Up for General Strike

The four main unions on Tuesday said that they are gearing up for a general strike in protest of the government's treatment of several social issues, notably the reform of the pension schemes, pointing out that the date of the strike will be determined in the near future.

In a joint statement issued following their sit-in outside the parliament on Tuesday, the Moroccan Labour Union (UMT), the Democratic Labour Confederation (CDT), the General Union of Morocco's Workers (UGTM) and the Democratic Labour Federation (FDT) "denounced the government's anti-social measures targeting the working class and undermining the foundations of social dialogue".

The government is "undermining the purchasing power of citizens and freezing wages and hiring," the unions noted, adding that "the government boasts conducting so-called reforms that are not reflected in the socio-economic development indicators or represented at international rankings".

Regarding the reform of pension schemes, the unions accused the government of "just holding pensioners responsible for the failure of the Moroccan Pension Fund (CMR) rather than prosecuting the corrupt in the absence of a radical solution to this issue that concerns many of the Moroccans".