Moroccan Protesters Rally Against $1 Million Ministerial Severance Package

The severance pay of the ministers of the outgoing government will cost 10.4 million dirhams to the state budget. An enormous sum in the eyes of the trade unions, NGOs and politicians who are organizing a sit-in this Saturday in front of the Parliament headquarters. The trade union bodies, the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT), the Moroccan Union of Labor (UMT), NGOs and political parties will participate in this movement of anger initiated by the Association for the Defense of Public Funds, reports Al Akhbar.

They are already setting the tone. In a statement, the CDT called on all sectors and citizens in the Rabat region to massively participate in this demonstration to protest against this political rent, in particular the retirement pensions of ministers. The UMT denounces a political rent that morality and political ethics reject and suggests that this sum of money be paid into the special fund for the management of the Covid-19 pandemic, the "Mohammed VI Fund", in order to allow it to continue its mission of supporting employees in the affected sectors.

To recall, El Othmani will receive a check for 700,000 DH as a severance allowance, each outgoing government minister 600,000 DH, and each Secretary of State 500,000 DH. This allowance exceeds 10 times the global flat-rate salary of each beneficiary. In addition to the severance allowance, the members of the government will be entitled, for life, to a retirement pension: 48,000 DH for the former head of the executive, 39,000 DH for the ministers and 30,000 DH for the Secretaries of State. In the event that one of the beneficiaries dies, half of this pension will automatically be paid to the heirs.