Opticians in Morocco are threatening to take to the streets to make their demands heard. This Saturday, January 4, the National Professional Union of Opticians of Morocco (SPNOM) announced its intention to use different forms of protest to obtain the creation of a professional order dedicated to their branch, not excluding the organization sit-ins or the call for a national strike.
«The positive points that Law 45.13 adopted in 2019 have unfortunately not been implemented”points out Nouamane Cherkaoui, secretary general of SPNOM, during an interview with Le360. He points out the absence of a legal text creating an order of opticians, a body which would make it possible to “better organize and better manage the profession.
He thus calls on the supervisory ministry to take its responsibilities: «The Ministry of Health must prepare and present a bill and submit it to Parliament“, he believes. And for good reason, the sector currently has 5,500 opticians, compared to only 1,150 in 2012, which further accentuates the need for a regulatory body.
In addition to the absence of an order, opticians say they are faced with another major problem: “anarchy» reigning in the sector, is indignant Nouamane Cherkaoui, who denounces «the proliferation of non-professional opticians installed in the souks“, as well as the existence of “supposed training structures» who do not respect any standards.
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On this last aspect, the secretary general of SPNOM calls for redefining the training model for future opticians. “There is no vision regarding the learning model, which must be based on precise and modern scientific cycles», he regrets, deploring in passing the lack of cooperation from the Ministry of Health with the union. «Our many letters went unanswered», he illustrates.
In this context, the union says it is ready to toughen its tone if its demands are not heard. “We will continue the fight through sit-ins and strikes in 2025, until our demands are met», warns Nouamane Cherkaoui.
Par Mohamed Chakir Alaoui et Yassine Mannan
01/04/2025 at 4:59 p.m.
