Moroccan Unions Divided on Engaging Parties Ahead of Legislative Elections

As Morocco approaches its legislative elections, a debate is unfolding among union leaders regarding the effectiveness of advocating for professional demands with political parties. The core issue is whether engaging parties to include these demands in their electoral platforms is a worthwhile endeavor, given past unfulfilled promises.

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There is no point in communicating with political parties during the remaining weeks before the legislative elections of 2026. If these bodies have not delivered anything in past years, the most they will promise is to solve the issue by 2027 without providing any details. I don't think anything will happen in the end.

Fatima Benaadi, president of the National Union of Moroccan Administrators (UNAM), expresses skepticism. She argues that despite continuous communication with political parties and parliamentary groups, tangible progress on administrators' demands has been minimal. Benaadi believes that any promises made now, especially in the final weeks before the election, are unlikely to be fulfilled, predicting that any potential solutions would be deferred to 2027 without concrete details.

Conversely, Mohamed Amine Sadouk, president of the National Authority of Technicians in Morocco (CNTM), suggests a more nuanced approach. While acknowledging that specific professional demands often receive limited attention in electoral programs, he doesn't rule out the possibility of parties making genuine commitments. Sadouk indicates a potential shift in strategy, favoring engagement with parties not currently represented in the government, while expressing a willingness to consider punitive voting against parties that have historically neglected the technicians' demands.

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Professional files generally do not receive much attention in electoral programs presented during elections. However, this does not preclude the possibility of parties making a real commitment to a file, even if it is not clearly evident in the electoral programs.

Both unions note a recent development: the 2027 finance bill's directive mentions allocating a budget for the stalled demands of three categories, including administrators, engineers, and technicians. However, it remains uncertain whether the next government will address these issues or leave them pending. Technicians are particularly hopeful for a party that pledges to abolish the strike law, viewing it as their last remaining leverage.

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We are looking forward to a party including in its electoral program the demand to abolish the strike law – just as the supplementary hour was abolished – because the strike is the only weapon left for the working class.