To avoid any restriction on the exercise of a constitutional right
M’Barek TAFSI
Organised at the initiative of the National Front for the Defence of the Right to Strike, a protest march against the retrograde and restrictive provisions of the organic bill relating to the exercise of the right to strike, currently under examination in Parliament, brought together a large crowd of citizens on Sunday, January 19, in Rabat, who responded in large numbers to the call of the components of the Front, including the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS).
The PPS at the head of the procession
In an appeal to militants, posted on the official PPS website, Secretary General Mohammed Nabil Benabdallah stressed that "the party, an active member of this front, is participating in this militant stage with the objective of achieving an advanced legal framework for strikes that complies with human rights, far from any hindrance or restriction on the exercise of this constitutional right, during the remaining stages of the discussion and adoption procedure in Parliament with its two chambers.
This militant and mobilisation stage constitutes a political contribution, with symbolic weight, in relation to the party's efforts for the emergence of a citizen social movement, which will have the role of activating political and social struggle, through the elevation of joint action between the various living forces and democratic and progressive actors of society, on the various fronts of struggle on all issues that concern the present and future of the country and which concern citizens".
For his part, Karim TEJ, a member of the PPS Political Bureau, who was in the company of other party militants at the head of the procession, indicated in a statement to Al Bayane that "we are today in the heart of this protest march, to which the National Front for the Defence of the Exercise of the Right to Strike [called], to express strongly the refusal of the content of the bill presented by the government, which still contains setbacks, despite the progress it has made in the House of Representatives. These setbacks seriously hinder the exercise of the right to strike by notably dictating numerous impossible conditions to fulfil and repressive sanctions that do not befit the spirit of the Constitution, which enshrines the exercise of rights and freedoms.
The present march is indeed part of the numerous advocacy efforts that the Front for the Defence of the Exercise of the Right to Strike is undertaking to draw attention to the gravity of the content of this text".
For his part, Younès FIRACHINE, a militant of the CDT, affirmed in a statement to Al Bayane that the present popular protest march is organised with the participation of various political, trade union, civil and human rights defence forces to express with one voice their refusal of the content of the organic bill on strikes, which hinders the exercise of the right to strike. It is a text that contradicts the Constitution and international conventions, according to him.
Through this march, he added, we are once again drawing the government's attention to the fact that resorting to the parliamentary majority will not allow it to pass this law, which goes against a constitutional right, he said, recalling that the government aims to hinder, through this law, the exercise of the right to strike. This is what is rejected by the National Front for the Defence of the Exercise of the Right to Strike, which has scheduled a series of actions including the current protest march, in which various social, political and trade union forces are participating".
Acting in this way, "the Front is determined to continue the fight until this restrictive law is brought down and the government is forced to reopen the dialogue with all the forces concerned to reach a project that is the subject of consensus", he said.
From the early hours of the morning, participants had indeed begun to flock in groups towards the BAB AL HAD square, from where the start was given around 11:00 AM before the procession toured the Mohammed V, Hassan II and Ennasr Boulevards, passing in front of the Parliament building.
Brandishing placards and banners denouncing the intention of the initiators of this text to deal a fatal blow to the right to strike, the participants chanted slogans to protest against the restrictive measures on the right to strike contained in the organic bill currently under examination. They also called for the development of a new consensus text in phase with the spirit of the 2011 Constitution and at the level of international conventions ratified by Morocco in this area.
According to the organisers, this march is part of the struggle programme of the Front for the Defence of the Right to Strike and its initiatives against this project, whose version adopted by the House of Representatives still contains numerous provisions that infringe on the exercise of the right to strike and trade union freedom, which are nevertheless guaranteed by the Constitution. Through this action, the Front aims primarily to make the voice of human rights defenders in general and workers' rights in particular, including the right to strike, heard. It also intends to continue to put pressure on the government to review its attitude and work to adapt this organic bill to the spirit of the Constitution and the related charters and international conventions.
And this with the major objective of ensuring legal protection for workers, civil servants, the various categories of professionals and all citizens for the exercise of the right to strike and the guarantee of healthy democratic practice for all components of society.
The article Massive popular march in Rabat for the right to strike first appeared on ALBAYANE.
