By Ebi Kesiena
Despite government ban on demonstrations, several activists from Morocco’s left-wing trade union movement have denounced the “high cost of living” and “government inaction” in Casablanca, western Morocco.
According to local media, coming from all over the country, trade unionists from the left-wing Confédération Démocratique du Travail (CDT) gathered in the historic center of the economic capital.
A CDT member Abdellah Lagbouri, who travelled from Agadir (south) to Casablanca explained that the protest had become eminent due to the discontent at soaring prices and attacks on their purchasing power.
Initially, the CDT wanted to organize a national march in Casablanca, but the parade was banned by local authorities, Tarik Alaoui El Housseini, a member of the CDT National Council said.
“It’s a disgrace, workers’ livelihoods are in danger.
“How can the poorest people live” with soaring food prices’’ he said.
Morocco is faced with soaring prices, particularly for food products, which are affecting the most modest households.
Inflation slowed slightly in April, to 7.8% year-on-year, after 10.1% in February and 8.2% in March, according to official statistics.
But the rise in food prices remains very high (+16.3% year-on-year).
This inflation can be explained in part by the chronic rainfall deficit which is affecting the agricultural sector, the mainstay of the Moroccan economy, and in particular causing fruit and vegetable prices to soar.
The CDT denounces “the government’s inaction in implementing the social agreement signed last year”, Nadia Soubat, a member of the union’s executive board, said.
In April 2022, the executive signed a “social agreement” with the main trade unions and employers, which included as its key measure an increase in the minimum wage in both the private and public sectors.
“The government has honored a large part of its commitments, despite the difficult economic climate”, said government spokesman Mustapha Baïtas recently.
