Union Demands Immediate Action from Government
The National Office of the National Union of Private Security, Cleaning, and Cooking Agents, affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labor, has formally addressed a letter to the Minister of Economic Integration, Small Enterprises, Employment, and Skills, urging immediate intervention regarding the unjust dismissal of several private security agents working in public hospitals in the Fes-Meknes region. This situation has arisen following a decision by the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, which introduced new contractual stipulations requiring educational qualifications. The union describes the retroactive application of this requirement as a form of "arbitrary dismissal" that impacts employees who possess extensive experience and professional competence.
The letter emphasizes that the treatment of these workers contradicts the goals of professional integration and social stability, reinforcing exclusion and precariousness. It transforms an administrative condition into a mechanism that strips hundreds of families of their sole source of livelihood. The union highlights that the retrospective implementation of educational qualifications has led to the exclusion of competent workers who have proven their capabilities over many years, arguing that this practice undermines the principles of job security and violates acquired rights while representing a regression from the government's commitments to social justice. Furthermore, this action threatens social peace and may exacerbate tensions in a sector already plagued by "precariousness and exploitation."
Call for Investigation and Reintegration
The professional union has called on the Minister responsible for Employment to take urgent and responsible action to halt this mass dismissal and to investigate the circumstances surrounding it. They demand coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to reinstate all dismissed security guards to their positions while safeguarding their rights and dignity, in alignment with the provisions of the constitution, labor law, and the royal directives that advocate for the establishment of a social state and the protection of working groups.
In a related context, Loubna Najib, the General Secretary of the National Union of Private Security, Cleaning, and Cooking Agents, stated that the union does not oppose the new conditions set forth by the Ministry of Health regarding security guards in hospitals, notably the requirement to obtain a certificate of completion of the third year of middle school. However, she pointed out that the real issue lies in the retroactive application of this requirement, which extends to guards who have been employed for years, when it should have applied solely to new hires.
Najib further revealed that among those dismissed, some have dedicated up to 20 years to their profession, raising concerns about the future of this group, particularly in the regions of Fes-Meknes, Sala, and Sidi Yahya El Gharb. The union has reached out to the Ministry of Health, but there has been no significant progress on the matter. She noted that the dismissal decision will exacerbate the suffering of many families, with approximately 90 guards affected across Sala, Fes-Meknes, and Sidi Yahya El Gharb, according to the union's findings so far.
Najib concluded by stating that the General Directorate of Employment is in contact with the union to ascertain the total number of affected individuals and emphasized that a lack of resolution within the week will compel the union to protest in front of the regional health delegation in the Fes-Meknes region and subsequently at the central headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
As reported by hespress.com.
