UMT: A Fourth Term for the Unshakable Moukharik
The Moroccan Labor Union (UMT), the country’s oldest trade union, launched its 13th annual congress on Friday, against a backdrop of tensions with the government over the draft law on the right to strike. By the end of the event, Miloudi Moukharik was re-elected as the union’s Secretary-General, securing his fourth consecutive term at the helm of an organization that counts over 335,000 members.
“This Sunday, at around 6:30 AM, we renewed our confidence in our brother Miloudi Moukharik as Secretary-General of the UMT,” a union member told L’Economiste. He was the sole candidate for his own succession. Moukharik has led the UMT since December 2010, and many members attending the congress had anticipated the re-election of the “comrade” for another term.
“Nothing is ever certain. A last-minute candidate from the National Secretariat could still step forward,” a UMT official had cautioned before the election. The three-day congress, attended by over 2,000 participants–including union members, delegates, and guests–was marked by a speech from the union leader, who strongly criticized the public and economic policies of the current government.
Taking the Fight to the Ground
Under the watchful eye of several opposition figures, Moukharik declared that social dialogue with the government had “broken down”, expressing his surprise at the government’s sudden shift in approach regarding negotiations on the draft law regulating the right to strike.
He further stated that UMT’s negotiating team had observed a “lack of political will” during discussions with government representatives. As a result, and in response to what he called the “hijacking” of the bill and its introduction into the legislative process “without consensus”, the UMT decided to take the battle to the streets. The union called for a general strike on February 5 and 6, 2024, which Moukharik claimed had a participation rate of 84.9%. However, the government reported much lower figures, stating that participation reached 32% in the public sector and only 1.4% in the private sector. “The government and its Minister of Employment falsified the results, presenting figures that no rational person would believe, in a desperate attempt to downplay the scale and impact of the general strike. But the political message was received loud and clear by all concerned,” Moukharik asserted.
The UMT leader also emphasized that the Organic Law on the Right to Strike is currently under review by the Constitutional Court, which has asked the union to submit amendments. “We have filed around 30 appeals on 32 articles, highlighting the extent of the violations in this controversial law,” he added.
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