Morocco's experience in collective conventions is still weak, prime minister says
Morocco, Economics, 5/7/1999

Morocco's experience in matters of collective conventions is still weak, Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi said.

The Moroccan experience in matters of collective conventions is still weak and restricted to the conventions' contribution to the development of labor legislation and settlement of social divergences, Youssoufi said at a meeting of the Higher Council of Collective Conventions.

The council, which meets for the first time since 1959, seeks to encourage partnership and contractual policy between socioeconomic partners, promote economic efficiency and workers' social status. The council, set up in 1957, also endeavors to achieve the stability of professional relations through the development of labor law texts.

Youssoufi expressed the government's will to encourage the socioeconomic partners work out a social partnership based on contractual policy.

The collective conventions, which bind all actors of the social and economic field (government, trade unions and employers), are a tool to settle social conflicts.

Head of the Moroccan industrial association (CGEM/employers union), Abderrahim Lahjouji, called for more transparency in relations between the socioeconomic partners and in labor law texts and procedures.

For his part, Noubir Amaoui,secretary-general of the Labor General Confederation (CDT/close to the prime minister's Socialist Union of Popular Forces) denounced violations of labor laws, "the daily arrests of unionists and the non-respect of the most fundamental public and unionist freedoms."

Amaoui hailed the initiative to hold the meeting of the council after a 40 year-long freeze.

The CDT leader urged the government to remedy the "deplorable social situation" and warned against "the risk of an explosion of the critical social situation" in the country.

The Council meeting was boycotted by two major trade unions, namely the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM/close to the Istiqlal Party, in government) and the Moroccan Labor Union (UMT/independent).

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