May 1st: Sakouri: We Have Lifted Injustice from Pensioners and Successfully Secured the Freedom to Work
Follow-up
Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills Minister Younes Sakouri stated on Thursday that the current government has removed injustice from pensioners in the private sector, allowing 200,000 individuals to benefit from retirement pensions. He also celebrated the enactment of the strike regulatory law and the achievements it secures for businesses and workers.
In a presentation made on International Workers’ Day, observed on May 1st each year, Sakouri noted that the government has reduced the eligibility requirement for old-age pensions under the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) from 3,240 days (approximately ten years of contributions) to 1,320 days (approximately four years).
He added that, thanks to this measure, eligible individuals reaching retirement age with at least 1,320 contribution days will be able to reclaim their wage contributions and the employer’s contributions.
The minister indicated that 200,000 insured individuals affiliated with the National Social Security Fund who could not benefit from a retirement pension due to not completing the 3,240-day requirement will now have access to this pension. He noted that the budget for implementing these commitments is estimated at 9.5 billion dirhams.
On another note, Sakouri highlighted in his presentation the enactment of regulatory law No. 97.15, which establishes the conditions and procedures for exercising the right to strike, describing it as one of the government’s most significant achievements, intended to come into effect within the first five years following the 2011 constitution.
He pointed out the collective consensus among various social partners and relevant constitutional bodies on the need to prepare a legal framework governing the right to strike, which safeguards workers’ rights as well as the right to work and societal rights.
This regulatory law, according to Sakouri, guarantees the right to strike for all groups subject to its application, whether in the public or private sector, including professionals, freelancers, and domestic workers. It protects and safeguards the right to strike by prohibiting any punitive or discriminatory measures against those who exercise it.
The minister mentioned the reduction of the previously lengthy timeframes in the draft law from 30 days to 7 days regarding disputes in the private sector, stating that this timeframe is necessary to allow for negotiation.
He discussed the obligation to negotiate to provide parties the opportunity to resolve demands and avoid strikes, and the removal of deadlines in the event of an imminent danger, thereby safeguarding the freedom to work, as stipulated in the regulatory law on strikes.
Sakouri also indicated that this law reinforces the rights of society by ensuring the continuity of vital services necessary for the health, safety, and security of citizens, through the establishment of a minimum service in these facilities, adding that penalties have been established for violations of this regulatory law.
