Moroccan Consulate Worker’s Eight-Year Pay Dispute Sent Back to Court After Error Found
An administrative worker at a Moroccan consulate in France has been challenging his pay since 2018 and alleging wage discrimination. The Court of Cassation has identified an error in the review of documents submitted by his employer. Part of his case must be retried.
It all turns on an exhibit numbered 32. Submitted by the Kingdom of Morocco, it listed consulate staff salaries for December 2020. In January 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal considered the list to be accompanied by the payslips of the employees concerned. It relied on them to reject the wage discrimination alleged by one of their colleagues and limit the amounts awarded to him.
However, those payslips were not among the documents accompanying the list. In its ruling of October 7, 2026, the Court of Cassation found that the appeal judges had misrepresented the schedule of documents submitted by the consulate. This error has led to the partial annulment of their decision.
A pay dispute that began in 2018
The case dates back several years. Hired by the Kingdom of Morocco on February 1, 2010, as a local employee at a general consulate in France, the worker obtained a permanent contract in November 2012 as an administrative employee.
On January 18, 2018, he filed a claim with the labor court, seeking, among other things, recognition of executive status, back pay and damages for wage discrimination.
On January 9, 2025, the Paris Court of Appeal awarded him 6,307.44 euros in back pay for the period from 2015 to May 2019, as well as 630.74 euros in corresponding paid-leave compensation. However, it rejected his claim for damages for discrimination.
The Court of Cassation has now overturned both points. The case has been sent back to a different panel of the Paris Court of Appeal, which must reconsider the wage discrimination claim and determine any back pay that may be owed. The October 7 ruling did not establish that discrimination had occurred.
The Kingdom of Morocco has also been ordered to pay the costs of the proceedings before the Court of Cassation and 3,000 euros to the employee for his legal expenses. The other provisions of the appeal ruling, which were not affected by this partial cassation, remain unchanged.
