El Othmani Reviews the Results of the Social Dialogue: Wage Increases and Improved Conditions for Over One Million Beneficiaries
Express TV: Mostafa Filali
Younes Skouri, the Minister of Economic Integration, Small Business, Employment, and Skills, unveiled the results of implementing the outcomes of the social dialogue, highlighting its positive impact on various employee segments in both the public and private sectors. This announcement came in response to a parliamentary question posed by MP Idris Senetisi in the House of Representatives.
Skouri noted that more than 1,127,000 employees benefited from the two social agreements signed on April 30, 2022, and April 29, 2024. These agreements include measures for a general wage increase for public administration employees, local authorities, and public institutions, which entails a monthly net increase of 1,000 dirhams in two installments— the first in July 2024 and the second in July 2025. Additionally, the minimum wage in the public sector will be raised from 3,000 dirhams to 4,500 dirhams by mid-2025. The average monthly net salary in the public sector is expected to rise from 8,237 dirhams in 2021 to 10,100 dirhams by 2026.
In the education sector, the total cost of the measures taken exceeded 17 billion dirhams, which included wage increases, rank and supplementary compensation, as well as the regularization of promotions from 2017 to 2022, benefiting over 330,000 employees directly. In the health sector, the total cost was approximately 3.5 billion dirhams, which facilitated wage and compensation reviews, the adoption of a new foundational system, and the provision of compensation for research personnel for the first time.
Regarding higher education, the cost of the measures implemented reached 2 billion dirhams, which included increasing the standard compensation for professors in various disciplines and disbursing the third installment of the planned wage increases starting January 2025, benefiting around 15,000 faculty members.
In the private sector, an agreement was reached to raise the legal minimum wage by 20% in non-agricultural activities and 25% in agricultural activities, bringing the monthly net minimum to approximately 3,200 dirhams in the former and 2,360 dirhams in the latter. These increases are set to be completed by 2026, benefiting more than two million individuals, according to the National Social Security Fund.
The Minister also indicated that the social dialogue encompassed retirees, reducing the required contribution period to qualify for old-age pensions from 3,240 days to 1,320 days, ensuring the insured can recover their and their employer’s share of contributions if they do not reach the pension threshold.
