On Monday, June 9, in Geneva, Gilbert Houngbo, Director-General of the International Labour Office, praised the “progress” made in the area of social dialogue in Morocco, expressing the Office’s readiness to support the government in its efforts to reform the Labor Code and trade union law.
In a statement to the press following a meeting with the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Microenterprises, Labor, and Skills, Younes Sekkouri, on the sidelines of the 113th session of the International Labour Conference (June 2–13), that the meeting provided an opportunity to assess cooperation between the International Labour Office and Morocco following his visit to the Kingdom last year, noting that “significant progress has been made on the issue of social dialogue.”
In this context, Minister El Skouri noted that the meeting with the international official addressed issues with national, regional, and international dimensions, highlighting in particular the Sixth World Conference on the Elimination of Child Labor, which will be held next year in Morocco.
The Minister of Employment noted that the holding of this global event in Morocco is the result of the Kingdom’s unwavering commitment to this cause, under the wise leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI.
Al-Sukori added, “The Kingdom of Morocco has made significant progress and continues to do so in this area, and the coming year will provide an opportunity to highlight all the efforts the Kingdom is making in this regard.”
Speaking about the reforms currently underway, Minister El Skouri noted that the latest round of social dialogue provided an opportunity to introduce draft laws on trade unions and the Labor Code, as well as the government’s roadmap for employment. He noted that employment indicators have shown significant progress this year, with 282,000 net jobs created, compared to a net loss of 80,000 jobs last year—a trend that calls for “fundamental reforms” to keep pace with these indicators.
The same government official added that the discussions with Mr. Hongbo also touched on the expertise and support that the International Labour Office could provide to Morocco, particularly with regard to new challenges such as platform work and modern forms of employment, emphasizing that the Kingdom aspires to be among the world’s leading countries in the field of legislation related to these issues.
Sheikh Al-Wali
