Rabat - On a conference held Saturday, October 25, three Moroccan unions including Union of Moroccan Workers (UMT), Moroccan Confederation of Work (CDT), and Democratic Federation of Labour (FDT) confirmed that the expected general strike on October 29 will take place.
Telquel, a French-language Moroccan weekly magazine, quoted Miloudi Moukharik, Secretary General of the Union of Moroccan Workers, as saying: “Nothing and no one can now convince us not to hold the general strike on October 29.”
“The decision to strike is enforceable," he added.
The three groups expressed their dissatisfaction with what they considered as "anti-social measures taken by the government since its inauguration on several issues, including purchasing ability, pensions, payroll taxes and freeze on social dialogue.”
Abdelkader Zair, Assistant Secretary General of the Moroccan Confederation of Work, denies the alleged negotiations between the government and the trade union body to prevent the strike. He added, “The government has relied on the security aspect by sending "Mkadem" - an authority assistant - to several companies to convince the workers not to participate in the strike.”
The three aforementioned unions considered the draft of 2015 Finance Act as "anti-social" law. To them, it is an “anti-social” finance law, as it provides several provisions that will “weaken the purchasing ability of employees and consumers.”