Union Raises Alarm Over Unjust Dismissals
The National Office of the Union for Private Security, Cleaning, and Cooking Agents, which operates under the umbrella of the Democratic Confederation of Labor, has formally addressed the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills regarding the immediate intervention needed to address the arbitrary dismissals faced by several private security personnel working in public hospitals within the Fes-Meknes region. These actions come in the wake of a directive from the Ministry of Health and Social Protection, which includes new stipulations concerning educational qualifications, retroactively applied to employees who have long demonstrated professional competence and have accumulated years of experience in their roles.
The letter, accessed by Hespress, highlights that the treatment of these workers contradicts the goals of professional integration and social stability, reinforcing exclusion and vulnerability while turning administrative requirements into a mechanism for stripping hundreds of families of their sole source of income. The source further asserted that the retroactive application of educational qualifications has led to the unjust exclusion of workers who have proven their on-ground capabilities over many years, arguing that such practices violate fundamental principles of workplace security and undermine acquired rights, representing a regression from the social justice commitments made by the government. This situation not only threatens social peace but also opens the door to further unrest in a sector already plagued by precariousness and exploitation.
Call for Urgent Action and Investigation
The union is urging the relevant minister to take swift and responsible action to halt these mass dismissals, demanding an investigation into the circumstances surrounding these actions, and calling for coordination with the Ministry of Health and Social Protection to reinstate all dismissed guards, protecting their rights and dignity in accordance with the provisions of the constitution, labor law, and the royal directives aimed at establishing the foundations of a social state and safeguarding the working class.
In an interview with Hespress, Lubna Najib, the General Secretary of the National Union for Private Security, Cleaning, and Cooking Agents, clarified that the union does not oppose the new criteria established by the Ministry of Health regarding hospital security guards, which notably includes the requirement to have completed the third year of middle school. However, she emphasized that the core issue lies in the retroactive enforcement of these requirements affecting current workers, rather than being limited to new entrants as it should be.
Najib highlighted that among those dismissed are individuals who have dedicated up to 20 years to their profession, raising concerns about the future of this workforce, particularly in the Fes-Meknes region, Salé, and Sidi Yahya El Gharb. She mentioned that the union had reached out to the Ministry of Health, yet there has been no significant update on the matter. The announcement of these dismissals is expected to exacerbate the hardships faced by numerous families, with around 90 guards reportedly impacted, distributed across Salé, Fes-Meknes, and Sidi Yahya El Gharb, according to the information the union has gathered thus far.
Lubna Najib concluded by stating that the General Directorate of Employment has been in contact with the union to ascertain the total number of affected individuals, emphasizing that if a resolution is not reached within the week, the union will protest in front of the regional health delegation in Fes-Meknes, followed by a demonstration at the central headquarters of the Ministry of Health and Social Protection.
As reported by hespress.com.
