At this stage, the number of articles in the bill has been reduced from 49 to 35, “with a view to further reducing it in the future,” noted Younes Sekkouri, Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills in a statement to MAP. He mentioned that “approximately 334 amendments were reviewed” and that “all opinions, both for and against, were considered.”
The minister also indicated that “the bill will be made available to parliamentarians pending its final approval by both Houses,” emphasizing that it is “a text that upholds the right to strike and protects the rights of strikers, while maintaining a balance between safeguarding work and preserving the interests of citizens.”
With the introduced amendments, “this organic law has achieved significant progress,” far from its previous version, which had drawn comments from social partners, constitutional institutions, as well as proposed amendments from opposition and majority groups. Sekkouri praised the “seriousness displayed by parliamentary groups and all deputies who worked for 18 consecutive hours.”
He highlighted that several amendments were unanimously approved, “notably the first article, which serves as a preamble, and provisions concerning the categories authorized to exercise the right to strike, granting this right to broader segments of Moroccan society compared to the initial draft.”
Important amendments include the removal of provisions banning political strikes, solidarity strikes, and rotational strikes, as well as reducing the duration of negotiations and notice periods.
According to Sekkouri, “this law ensures the protection of work by respecting the rights of non-striking workers, while also strengthening the rights of strikers, as employers are now prohibited from dismissing a striker or taking discriminatory action against them.”
Another notable change is the extension of the right to strike to professionals, self-employed workers, and individuals in specific professions. The scope of entities authorized to call for a strike “has been expanded to include all represented unions, not just the most representative ones.”
The minister also mentioned simplifying the conditions for holding “general assemblies,” eliminating all criminal penalties included in the original text, abolishing imprisonment sentences, and a major amendment removing the requisitioning procedure.
Regarding categories prohibited from striking, Sekkouri said that several articles were revised to align with international legislation in this area.
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