Morocco’s Cafe and Restaurant Owners Threaten Strike Over New COVID Restrictions

The National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners is angry. It blames the administrative and local authorities for having taken restrictive measures without consulting it; in addition, no support measures.

"Today, the setting of opening and closing hours for cafes is subject to the appreciation of the walis and governors who make decisions based on the evolution of the epidemiological situation. However, some ordered decisions can turn into abuse of power, especially in the absence of consultation with the representative bodies of this sector," denounces Nourredine El Harrak, president of the National Association of Cafe and Restaurant Owners, in a statement to "Le Matin".

Mr. Nourredine El Harrak also regrets the disparity in operating hours: "In some cities, like Béni Mellal, the local authorities have set the closing time for cafes at 8 p.m., while in other cities, like Fez or Casablanca, the closing is ordered at 10 p.m.".

His association is even threatening: "It is not excluded that cafe and restaurant owners will observe a strike to encourage local authorities to resume dialogue with the union. All proposals will be examined," he notes.

The association says it is concerned in particular about tax exemption during this post-Covid period and the revision of laws governing the rental sector in order to eliminate the possibility for owners of business premises operated by cafes to exclude them for non-payment of maturities. The State must intervene to save a sector on the brink of the abyss," warns Mr. Harrak.