This Sunday morning, in front of the Parliament in Rabat, around a hundred Moroccan civilian retirees organized a peaceful demonstration to demand their rights and draw the attention of the authorities to the stagnation of their pensions. This long-planned protest follows a persistent demand for improved conditions for retirees in Morocco, whose rights have not been revised for more than 25 years.
Among the retirees present this Sunday, we found pensioners from various sectors, notably from Maroc Télécom, as well as soldiers, illustrating the extent of the mobilization of this segment of the population. The demonstrators expressed their dissatisfaction with the “indifference » of the various successive governments which did not meet their expectations. They demand in particular the alignment of the pensions of civilian retirees with those of active civil servants, as well as the establishment of a system of social benefits and free care for retirees and their families.
Ahmed Abir, vice-president of the Association of Civilian Retirees in Morocco, stressed at the microphone of Hespress FR the urgency of the situation. “ Our rights have not been revised for over 25 years. Retirees always ask to be aligned with active civil servants, because it has been too long since we had a good raise. Our role is therefore to defend the interests of all retirees, whether they are civilians, military, or widows of retirees.“, he lamented, emphasizing the simplicity of the retirees’ demands.
« We ask that we be aligned with civil servants, that social and hospital benefits be guaranteed and free for retirees and their families. We also demand to be represented in both houses of Parliament and in social dialogue, as well as in the social works of all ministerial departments. We want Moroccan retirees to be treated with dignity, like their counterparts in other countries around the world, with privileges such as free access to public transport. “, he confided.
For his part, Ahmed Mounib, member of the SONASID Union, underlined the importance of this mobilization to attract the attention of Moroccan officials.
« We are here to draw the attention of our officials to the situation of Moroccan retirees. We are demanding an increase in the pension, which has remained stagnant for too long. We also want the situation of retirees to be taken into consideration more broadly, by offering benefits similar to those granted in other democratic countries, such as easier access to health care, transport, and rehousing. “, he confided to Hespress FR before concluding: “ We call for broad support from the media, unions and political parties in Morocco to defend our rights ».
This demonstration is part of a series of actions to improve the living conditions of civilian retirees in Morocco, a group often neglected in public debate. The demands expressed this Sunday remain clear: serious consideration of their material and social needs, and significant reform of the retirement system.
