Morocco Docks Pay of Local Government Workers as 48-Hour Strike Begins

Local government officials are observing a 48-hour strike, which began this Wednesday, December 27. Upon announcement of this walkout, Abdelatif Laftit, the Minister of the Interior, instructed walis of the regions and governors of the provinces and prefectures, in a letter, to activate the procedure for docking the salaries of the strikers, as reported by Le Matin. The presidents of municipal councils are authorized to proceed with deductions from the salaries of civil servants who are absent on the occasion of each strike in the sector, he specifies in his letter.

It falls to the responsible official, in coordination with the finance services, to directly trigger the procedure via the "indimaj" platform, in application of the "salary against work" rule. The strike is not among the reasons that justify a justified absence of civil servants, the minister further specifies.

Before the local government officials, it was the striking teachers who saw their salaries reduced by the equivalent of the days not worked. They had observed a three-day strike in October. This walkout eventually paid off, as an agreement to improve teachers’ compensation was reached in Rabat between the government and the main trade union centers. A substantial salary increase of 1,500 dirhams per month is planned for all civil servants in the education sector.