Trade union organisations celebrated Labour Day on Wednesday in Rabat, pleading for the improvement of the socio-economic conditions of the working class and the preservation of its purchasing power and rights.

During various meetings organised on this occasion, the unions called on the government to guarantee trade union freedoms, to respect the right to strike by renouncing any deductions from the salaries of strikers, and to implement all the provisions of the agreement of 26 April 2011.

In this context, the Moroccan Workers' Union (UMT) expressed its rejection of the "austerity" policy adopted by the government, warning against its repercussions on the working class.

After denouncing the infringement of trade union freedoms and the rights of employees, the UMT stated that it had decided to boycott the social dialogue meeting that was scheduled for 27 April, to protest against the executive's refusal to implement certain provisions of the agreement of 26 April 2011, under the pretext of economic crisis constraints.

The union also spoke out against deductions from the salaries of strikers, describing this measure as "unconstitutional".

The Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT), for its part, pleaded during a meeting organised under the banner "More mobilisation to meet all challenges", to protect trade union freedoms and to treat outstanding issues "with lucidity and seriousness", the "government tending to flout the exercise of trade union rights and to annihilate the gains of the working class".

The CDT trade unionists also called on the government to hasten the pace of reforms and socio-economic development projects, to give substance to the provisions of the social dialogue agreement concluded on 26 April 2011, and to make trade union centres "essential partners" in the management of public affairs, on an equal footing with the employers.

For his part, the deputy national secretary of the National Union of Labour in Morocco (UNTM), Abdelilah Hanoudi, welcomed the gains made for the benefit of the working class, notably the implementation of several provisions of the agreement of 26 April 2011, despite the difficult economic and financial situation.

Among these gains, the union official cited in particular the application of a general salary increase of 600 DH, the revaluation to 1,000 DH of the minimum retirement pension, and the maintenance of support for the Compensation Fund.

He also expressed his support for the various reform projects initiated by the government, including the reforms of the Compensation Fund, retirement, and taxation.

While insisting on the need to preserve the gains already made, the UNMT calls on the government to deploy more efforts to satisfy the other legitimate demands of the working class, including the continued implementation of the 26 April agreement and the institutionalisation of social dialogue through the holding of the national dialogue commission in particular, he added.

Emphasis was also placed on the need for the effective establishment of an allowance for job loss, the overall revision of the general statute of the civil service, as well as other texts related to the improvement of the social, material, and professional conditions of the working class.

For its part, the Democratic Labour Organisation (ODT) called on the government to implement the provisions of the Constitution which provide for the fight against social disparities and the promotion of social justice through an equitable distribution of wealth.

In an address, the secretary general of the ODT, Ali Lotfi, demanded a real revision of the national financial and banking system, a comprehensive reform of the tax system through the cancellation of all unjustified exemptions, the fight against tax evasion and the rentier economy, the introduction of a wealth tax, and the overhaul of the Compensation Fund.

The ODT also insisted on the need to respect trade union freedoms, to revise the pension scheme, and to generalise social coverage for private sector employees, liberal professions, merchants, and artisans.

It also pleaded for adherence to the major reform projects relating to decentralisation through advanced regionalisation, while revising the current regional division.