UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull1

1 ISRAEL amp PALESTINE 2 G7 3 NEPAL BURMA 4 WORKERSrsquoRIGHTS amp GSPWOMENrsquoS DAY 5 CAMBODIAN TEXTILE6 G8 7 CHINA amp HONG KONG 8 INTERNATIONALCOMMEMORATION DAY FOR DEAD AND INJUREDWORKERS

InfoSud-Syfia

Morocco ndash Raising Awarenessand Visibility Women MakeProgressThe UMT Womenrsquos Committee has gone into action battling with the socio-economic and cultural obstacles that undermine the role of women in societyin the labour market and trade unions An initial assessment and testimonies ofthe progress made so far

UNIO

N VI

EW01

ITUC

Inte

rnat

iona

l Tra

de U

nion

Con

fede

ratio

nJa

nuar

y 20

07

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 2

provisions combined with the incompatibility of theirworking hours with the school day creates organisationalproblems that are a constant source of stress for women Itis also a source of insecurity for those working in unsafeareasrdquo

Unrecognised work

The UMT Womenrsquos Committee also denounces theldquoinvisiblerdquo work done by many women as well as thegrowing feminisation of poverty ldquoWomenrsquos work in certainareas such as agricultural plantations or home-based workis not even recognised despite the extremely difficultworking conditions and the undeniable source of wealththey produce We are also witnessing a feminisation ofpoverty as a result of the drastic fall in purchasing poweraffecting their ability to cover their most basic needsagainst the background of protracted wage freezesUnemployment is very high especially among younggraduatesrdquo explains Amal El Amri head of the UMTWomenrsquos Committee a member of the ITUC WomenrsquosCommittee and coordinator of the UMT campaign tounionise women

Maternity protection also remains highly deficient and manywomen die in childbirth for lack of adequate medicalattention

ldquoDespite the legislative arsenal violence against women isanother very serious problemrdquo underlines Khadija RhamirildquoThanks to the work of the women from the UMTconfronting sexual harassment at work is no longer taboobut we have to keep up the fight to ensure it is madepunishable by lawrdquo

The cultural heritage and traditions sustaining the notionof womenrsquos inferiority continue to weigh heavily on

Moroccan society ldquoSome women are forced to enter theworld of work for financial reasons but they remain limitedby their traditional status as inferiors Illiteracy also continuesto be a major obstacle especially in remote rural areasDiscrimination starts from the very beginning of theeducation cyclerdquo laments Khadija Rhamiri general secretaryof the UMT regional office in Rabat and coordinator for thetextile and garment sector

Although the Statutes of the public service and publicenterprises lay down the principle of sexual equality femalepublic sector workers are nevertheless discriminated againstin the areas of wages promotion social protection andaccess to decision-making posts ldquoWomen who occupy athird of the posts in the public service are confined to thebottom of the hierarchy They are also highly concentrated inactivities perceived as an extension of their perceived role aswomen working in education health and the servicessectorsrdquo adds Khadija Rhamiri also pointing to fact thatldquowomen are often offered jobs in remote areas where they isno security leaving them with no option but to refuse suchpostingsrdquo

Low skilled work

In the private sector women are confined to jobs requiringfew skills or qualifications such as in textiles or the agri-foodsector which is also a reflection the fact that the rate ofilliteracy among women is greater than among men

ldquoWorking continuous shifts has a particularly negative impacton women The absence of childcare and other practical

01

Key figures

Literacy Total population517 men 641 women394

Unemployment 11 in 2005(estimated at 102 for 2006)and close to 20 in urban areas355 of female graduates areunemployed as compared with226 of male graduates

Population living below thepoverty line 19

Female employment as apercentage of the total 26(2001) as compared with 19 in1982

Wage discrimination theaverage salary for men is 358higher than that of womenamong the urban employeepopulationSource Haut Commissariat au planmarocain (HCP) 2006

Imbalancerdquo between menand women

There is a ldquostriking imbalancerdquobetween men and women on theMoroccan labour market admitsthe HCP underlining that ldquoonlyone in four employees arewomen and that a manrsquos salaryis three times higher than awomanrsquosrdquo

Widespread discrimination and thefeminisation of povertyDespite the rise in the number of women on the Moroccan labour market (26) a variety of factors continue tokeep them in the lowest paid and most insecure jobs

REUTERS

UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull3

awareness of among both men and women training and thesetting up of the womens committees at regional sectoraland national level

National seminars on womens integration within unionsand campaigning techniques were organised by theWomens Committee followed by regional seminars to traincampaign groups in charge of raising womens awarenessabout the need to organise The campaign groups alongwith the womens committees of the local and regionalunions have organised activities and meetings as well asvisits to the workers in their production units andelsewhere explains Amal El Amri We have takenadvantage of each and every trade union event (congressesnational councils International Womens Day the 50thanniversary of the UMT) to publicise the campaign

Targeting specific needs

Its obviously much easier in unionised companies becausethe campaign can count on the trade unions nucleus thatalready exists convincing the members of the need to createa specific framework for women to target their specificneeds and bring a trade union response to their problemsIts more difficult however in companies where there is nounion where we have to start from scratch setting up anorganising committee and a calendar of activities placingemphasis on gender specific issues and showing how thestrength of the union can help women explains KhadijaRhamiri To be able to organise more women its importantto start with cultural activities presentations about subjectsof interest to the women targeted or literacy classes whichallow us to get closer to women workers and theirconcernsrdquo

As Amal El Amri explains ldquoWe tell women that if they all joina union together en masse the employer will ultimately have

Female membership of the UMT stands at 57600 out ofa total membership of 320000 (2006) This female

presence in the union is largely concentrated in the servicebranches (banks social security and social protectionutilities textile and garments occupational training agri-food agriculture health and public institutions)

ldquoThe mass redundancies factory closures and thedevelopment of atypical forms of employment generated bythe globalisation of the economy have led to a fall inmembers especially womenrdquo explains Amal el Amri amember of the ITUC Womenrsquos Committee and coordinator ofthe national campaign to unionise women in Morocco whichis linked to the international trade union campaign ldquoUnionsfor Women ndash Women for Unionsrdquo (see page 7)

In Morocco the campaign objectives include increasingfemale membership by 5 identifying the obstacles to theunionisation of women and the solutions to overcome themreinforcing the training of women trade union trainerssetting up or strengthening local regional and sectoralwomenrsquos committees and feminising trade union structuresat all levels particularly leadership structures

One plus one strategy

The campaign is targeting women working in predominantlyfemale sectors (textile agri-food services chemicalproducts agriculture) placing special emphasis on those inlow skilled jobs with the poorest working conditions and thegreatest restrictions on trade union rights and freedoms(textile and agri-food) who often work in the informaleconomy

The method promoted is the ldquoone plus onerdquo strategywhereby each woman recruits another one CasablancaMohammedia Rabat Tangier Marrakech Safiel JadidaMekneshellip all these towns and regions have been targetedone after another by the campaign A wide range of activitieshave been organised such as seminars sessions to raise

Workersrsquo rights violations

Morocco has not yet ratified ILOConvention 87 ldquoUnder theLabour Code trade union actionis still punishable by law andmany trade unionists are oftenmaltreated and arrestedrdquodenounces Khadija RhamirildquoEverything is done to restrict theright to strike by insidious meansAlthough improvements in labourlegislation have been achievedthanks to the fight led by theUMT and others employers donrsquotrespect it The health and safetyconditions are terrible inmarginalized sectors such asagri-food textiles and tourismLegal working hours are oftenviolated and abusive use is madeof fixed term contractsApprenticeships are also used asa pretext for exploitation Thelegal minimum wage (between180 and 200 euros) is notrespected and employers arecurrently campaigning toundermine this principle by tryingto impose regional and sectoralminimum wages The right tobreastfeed at work is notrespectedrdquo

The agricultural sector underscrutiny

ldquoAgriculture is the sector wherewomen workers are often facedwith the worst conditions and themost blatant discriminationMany are not declared and haveno social security coverageSexual harassment is consideredthe norm with farm managersdoing whatever they please as ifthe women were their propertyWomen who refuse theiradvances are sacked They areldquorights-free zonesrdquo which is whythe UMT is putting great effortsinto trying to organise women inthe agricultural sectorrdquo saysKhadija Rhamiri

The campaign has made women aware oftheir strengthThe aims the obstacles the gains hellip an initial campaign assessment

Out of a total membership of 320000 in 2006 57600 are women ie 12

Female trade union membership is concentrated in the services

The UMT trade union confederation has had a specific structure for organising women since the sixties the ldquoUnion Progressiste des femmes duMarocrdquo which even organises housewives

In 1995 the National Committee of Working Women was created comprising 23 members and represented on the Administrative Committeewhich is a decision-making body The National Committee of Women Workers meets every quarter and reports to the Executive Bureau

Since then the integration of women has progressed at all levels of the UMT (decision-making bodies congresses national councils sectoralfederations regional and local unions workplace unions and committees)

At the last UMT Congress female representation was 20

The UMT is also represented by a woman Khadija Rhamiri who is also a member of the lower house of the Moroccan parliament

Only one out of the seven seats on the National Bureau of the UMT is occupied by a woman The Bureau is elected every four years

ldquoWhilst a number of women hold posts of responsibility within the national federations the sectoral and local unions as well as in a variety ofdepartments the number of women seconded to full-time posts has not increasedrdquo laments Amal El Amri

The UMT and women

bullbullbull

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 4

to give in because he cannot dismiss all of them at oncerdquoThis statement was published in the Moroccan press whichtestifies to the unquestionable progress made by thecampaign making women aware of their strength

The campaign has also shown great determination incoordinating activities with civil society groups especiallywomens organisations and associations defending humanrights and womens rights

The double workload obstacle

Moroccan women are torn between their countless tasks aburden that often prevents them from getting involved in aunion ldquoThe domestic tasks they are bundled with preventthem from getting fully involving the public sphere lamentsKhadija Rhamiri

Another obstacle to the unionisation of women is thetraditional view that trade unions are the exclusive realm ofmen in which women suffer from the same alienation anddiscrimination as in the workplace and rarely have access todecision-making posts

People still hold the view that the trade union movement is amans world Some women even propagate this idea Womenunderestimate their abilities and stop themselves fromseizing certain opportunities Men and women have to fighttogether to change these images within society When wedeal with issues specific to women its essential that menalso take part so they understand that women really do facespecific problems as they are often unaware of the fact orprefer to ignore it But thanks to our campaign work I thinkwe have really made progress in the fight against suchbeliefsrdquo says Khadija Rhamiri

Better womens representation

The campaign has succeeded in setting up womenscommittees in certain regional unions such as in Safi andMeknegraves whilst those already existing such as in Marrakechand El Jadida have been injected with new dynamicSectoral womens committees have also been set up in thetextiles utilities Social Security railways health publicservice and occupational training sectors

The campaign has also led to an increase in the number ofwomen representatives within decision-making structures

ldquoThanks to the ICFTU and ILO campaigns to raise the rate offemale participation in trade union activities to at least 30we have managed to surpass the 30 mark in trade unionseminars and general training activities This is veryimportant as a means of raising womens awareness abouttheir situation and helping them to overcome the obstacleshindering their full involvement in trade unions Women arebecoming ever more present on negotiating teams includingsocial dialogue with the government says Amal

There are however certain limitations on the application ofthis minimum participation rate of 30 There are objectivelimitations In areas where the workforce is predominantlymale such as port and oil activities there is virtually nofemale presence One exception is the railways where greatefforts are being made to integrate women despite thepredominance of men in this sector As regards missionsabroad the obstacles to reaching the 30 target include thenature of the mission and the type of trade union post orprofile required to take part in it in addition to all-too-oftenobjective limitations linked to the predominance of maleculturerdquo adds Amal el Amri

Only a few federations have amended their statutes toinclude quotas for women but we plan to take advantage ofthe congresses held by local unions federations and nationalorganisations to propose changes to the statutes with a viewto better integrating women within their trade unionstructuresrdquo says Amal adding that efforts still have to bemade to give an official and statutory character to womensrepresentation within trade union structures using specificintegration mechanisms such as quotasrdquo

Capacity building

The campaign has undoubtedly been successful in the areaof recruitment although the increase in membership cannotonly be attributed to the campaign the efforts of theorganising committee have also contributedrdquo says Amal elAmri

Asma Elbassir (1) a member of the youth committee and thewomen committee adds We have strengthened our skills astrade unionists by boosting self-confidence Women havestrengthened their capabilities and are better equipped totake on trade union responsibilitiesrdquo(1) Read the full interview of Asma Elbassir at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

bullbullbull

ldquo The campaign hasalso led to anincrease in thenumber of womenrepresentativeswithin decision-making structuresAmal El Amrirdquo

such as the NationalCouncil which is anintermediary bodybetween the NationalSecretariat and theAdministrativeCommitteerdquo says AmalEl Amri But ldquowhilst anumber of women holdpost of responsibilitywithin the nationalfederations local andsectoral unions aswell as in a variety ofdepartments thenumber of womenseconded to full-timeposts has notincreasedrdquo adds AmalEl Amri

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 2

provisions combined with the incompatibility of theirworking hours with the school day creates organisationalproblems that are a constant source of stress for women Itis also a source of insecurity for those working in unsafeareasrdquo

Unrecognised work

The UMT Womenrsquos Committee also denounces theldquoinvisiblerdquo work done by many women as well as thegrowing feminisation of poverty ldquoWomenrsquos work in certainareas such as agricultural plantations or home-based workis not even recognised despite the extremely difficultworking conditions and the undeniable source of wealththey produce We are also witnessing a feminisation ofpoverty as a result of the drastic fall in purchasing poweraffecting their ability to cover their most basic needsagainst the background of protracted wage freezesUnemployment is very high especially among younggraduatesrdquo explains Amal El Amri head of the UMTWomenrsquos Committee a member of the ITUC WomenrsquosCommittee and coordinator of the UMT campaign tounionise women

Maternity protection also remains highly deficient and manywomen die in childbirth for lack of adequate medicalattention

ldquoDespite the legislative arsenal violence against women isanother very serious problemrdquo underlines Khadija RhamirildquoThanks to the work of the women from the UMTconfronting sexual harassment at work is no longer taboobut we have to keep up the fight to ensure it is madepunishable by lawrdquo

The cultural heritage and traditions sustaining the notionof womenrsquos inferiority continue to weigh heavily on

Moroccan society ldquoSome women are forced to enter theworld of work for financial reasons but they remain limitedby their traditional status as inferiors Illiteracy also continuesto be a major obstacle especially in remote rural areasDiscrimination starts from the very beginning of theeducation cyclerdquo laments Khadija Rhamiri general secretaryof the UMT regional office in Rabat and coordinator for thetextile and garment sector

Although the Statutes of the public service and publicenterprises lay down the principle of sexual equality femalepublic sector workers are nevertheless discriminated againstin the areas of wages promotion social protection andaccess to decision-making posts ldquoWomen who occupy athird of the posts in the public service are confined to thebottom of the hierarchy They are also highly concentrated inactivities perceived as an extension of their perceived role aswomen working in education health and the servicessectorsrdquo adds Khadija Rhamiri also pointing to fact thatldquowomen are often offered jobs in remote areas where they isno security leaving them with no option but to refuse suchpostingsrdquo

Low skilled work

In the private sector women are confined to jobs requiringfew skills or qualifications such as in textiles or the agri-foodsector which is also a reflection the fact that the rate ofilliteracy among women is greater than among men

ldquoWorking continuous shifts has a particularly negative impacton women The absence of childcare and other practical

01

Key figures

Literacy Total population517 men 641 women394

Unemployment 11 in 2005(estimated at 102 for 2006)and close to 20 in urban areas355 of female graduates areunemployed as compared with226 of male graduates

Population living below thepoverty line 19

Female employment as apercentage of the total 26(2001) as compared with 19 in1982

Wage discrimination theaverage salary for men is 358higher than that of womenamong the urban employeepopulationSource Haut Commissariat au planmarocain (HCP) 2006

Imbalancerdquo between menand women

There is a ldquostriking imbalancerdquobetween men and women on theMoroccan labour market admitsthe HCP underlining that ldquoonlyone in four employees arewomen and that a manrsquos salaryis three times higher than awomanrsquosrdquo

Widespread discrimination and thefeminisation of povertyDespite the rise in the number of women on the Moroccan labour market (26) a variety of factors continue tokeep them in the lowest paid and most insecure jobs

REUTERS

UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull3

awareness of among both men and women training and thesetting up of the womens committees at regional sectoraland national level

National seminars on womens integration within unionsand campaigning techniques were organised by theWomens Committee followed by regional seminars to traincampaign groups in charge of raising womens awarenessabout the need to organise The campaign groups alongwith the womens committees of the local and regionalunions have organised activities and meetings as well asvisits to the workers in their production units andelsewhere explains Amal El Amri We have takenadvantage of each and every trade union event (congressesnational councils International Womens Day the 50thanniversary of the UMT) to publicise the campaign

Targeting specific needs

Its obviously much easier in unionised companies becausethe campaign can count on the trade unions nucleus thatalready exists convincing the members of the need to createa specific framework for women to target their specificneeds and bring a trade union response to their problemsIts more difficult however in companies where there is nounion where we have to start from scratch setting up anorganising committee and a calendar of activities placingemphasis on gender specific issues and showing how thestrength of the union can help women explains KhadijaRhamiri To be able to organise more women its importantto start with cultural activities presentations about subjectsof interest to the women targeted or literacy classes whichallow us to get closer to women workers and theirconcernsrdquo

As Amal El Amri explains ldquoWe tell women that if they all joina union together en masse the employer will ultimately have

Female membership of the UMT stands at 57600 out ofa total membership of 320000 (2006) This female

presence in the union is largely concentrated in the servicebranches (banks social security and social protectionutilities textile and garments occupational training agri-food agriculture health and public institutions)

ldquoThe mass redundancies factory closures and thedevelopment of atypical forms of employment generated bythe globalisation of the economy have led to a fall inmembers especially womenrdquo explains Amal el Amri amember of the ITUC Womenrsquos Committee and coordinator ofthe national campaign to unionise women in Morocco whichis linked to the international trade union campaign ldquoUnionsfor Women ndash Women for Unionsrdquo (see page 7)

In Morocco the campaign objectives include increasingfemale membership by 5 identifying the obstacles to theunionisation of women and the solutions to overcome themreinforcing the training of women trade union trainerssetting up or strengthening local regional and sectoralwomenrsquos committees and feminising trade union structuresat all levels particularly leadership structures

One plus one strategy

The campaign is targeting women working in predominantlyfemale sectors (textile agri-food services chemicalproducts agriculture) placing special emphasis on those inlow skilled jobs with the poorest working conditions and thegreatest restrictions on trade union rights and freedoms(textile and agri-food) who often work in the informaleconomy

The method promoted is the ldquoone plus onerdquo strategywhereby each woman recruits another one CasablancaMohammedia Rabat Tangier Marrakech Safiel JadidaMekneshellip all these towns and regions have been targetedone after another by the campaign A wide range of activitieshave been organised such as seminars sessions to raise

Workersrsquo rights violations

Morocco has not yet ratified ILOConvention 87 ldquoUnder theLabour Code trade union actionis still punishable by law andmany trade unionists are oftenmaltreated and arrestedrdquodenounces Khadija RhamirildquoEverything is done to restrict theright to strike by insidious meansAlthough improvements in labourlegislation have been achievedthanks to the fight led by theUMT and others employers donrsquotrespect it The health and safetyconditions are terrible inmarginalized sectors such asagri-food textiles and tourismLegal working hours are oftenviolated and abusive use is madeof fixed term contractsApprenticeships are also used asa pretext for exploitation Thelegal minimum wage (between180 and 200 euros) is notrespected and employers arecurrently campaigning toundermine this principle by tryingto impose regional and sectoralminimum wages The right tobreastfeed at work is notrespectedrdquo

The agricultural sector underscrutiny

ldquoAgriculture is the sector wherewomen workers are often facedwith the worst conditions and themost blatant discriminationMany are not declared and haveno social security coverageSexual harassment is consideredthe norm with farm managersdoing whatever they please as ifthe women were their propertyWomen who refuse theiradvances are sacked They areldquorights-free zonesrdquo which is whythe UMT is putting great effortsinto trying to organise women inthe agricultural sectorrdquo saysKhadija Rhamiri

The campaign has made women aware oftheir strengthThe aims the obstacles the gains hellip an initial campaign assessment

Out of a total membership of 320000 in 2006 57600 are women ie 12

Female trade union membership is concentrated in the services

The UMT trade union confederation has had a specific structure for organising women since the sixties the ldquoUnion Progressiste des femmes duMarocrdquo which even organises housewives

In 1995 the National Committee of Working Women was created comprising 23 members and represented on the Administrative Committeewhich is a decision-making body The National Committee of Women Workers meets every quarter and reports to the Executive Bureau

Since then the integration of women has progressed at all levels of the UMT (decision-making bodies congresses national councils sectoralfederations regional and local unions workplace unions and committees)

At the last UMT Congress female representation was 20

The UMT is also represented by a woman Khadija Rhamiri who is also a member of the lower house of the Moroccan parliament

Only one out of the seven seats on the National Bureau of the UMT is occupied by a woman The Bureau is elected every four years

ldquoWhilst a number of women hold posts of responsibility within the national federations the sectoral and local unions as well as in a variety ofdepartments the number of women seconded to full-time posts has not increasedrdquo laments Amal El Amri

The UMT and women

bullbullbull

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 4

to give in because he cannot dismiss all of them at oncerdquoThis statement was published in the Moroccan press whichtestifies to the unquestionable progress made by thecampaign making women aware of their strength

The campaign has also shown great determination incoordinating activities with civil society groups especiallywomens organisations and associations defending humanrights and womens rights

The double workload obstacle

Moroccan women are torn between their countless tasks aburden that often prevents them from getting involved in aunion ldquoThe domestic tasks they are bundled with preventthem from getting fully involving the public sphere lamentsKhadija Rhamiri

Another obstacle to the unionisation of women is thetraditional view that trade unions are the exclusive realm ofmen in which women suffer from the same alienation anddiscrimination as in the workplace and rarely have access todecision-making posts

People still hold the view that the trade union movement is amans world Some women even propagate this idea Womenunderestimate their abilities and stop themselves fromseizing certain opportunities Men and women have to fighttogether to change these images within society When wedeal with issues specific to women its essential that menalso take part so they understand that women really do facespecific problems as they are often unaware of the fact orprefer to ignore it But thanks to our campaign work I thinkwe have really made progress in the fight against suchbeliefsrdquo says Khadija Rhamiri

Better womens representation

The campaign has succeeded in setting up womenscommittees in certain regional unions such as in Safi andMeknegraves whilst those already existing such as in Marrakechand El Jadida have been injected with new dynamicSectoral womens committees have also been set up in thetextiles utilities Social Security railways health publicservice and occupational training sectors

The campaign has also led to an increase in the number ofwomen representatives within decision-making structures

ldquoThanks to the ICFTU and ILO campaigns to raise the rate offemale participation in trade union activities to at least 30we have managed to surpass the 30 mark in trade unionseminars and general training activities This is veryimportant as a means of raising womens awareness abouttheir situation and helping them to overcome the obstacleshindering their full involvement in trade unions Women arebecoming ever more present on negotiating teams includingsocial dialogue with the government says Amal

There are however certain limitations on the application ofthis minimum participation rate of 30 There are objectivelimitations In areas where the workforce is predominantlymale such as port and oil activities there is virtually nofemale presence One exception is the railways where greatefforts are being made to integrate women despite thepredominance of men in this sector As regards missionsabroad the obstacles to reaching the 30 target include thenature of the mission and the type of trade union post orprofile required to take part in it in addition to all-too-oftenobjective limitations linked to the predominance of maleculturerdquo adds Amal el Amri

Only a few federations have amended their statutes toinclude quotas for women but we plan to take advantage ofthe congresses held by local unions federations and nationalorganisations to propose changes to the statutes with a viewto better integrating women within their trade unionstructuresrdquo says Amal adding that efforts still have to bemade to give an official and statutory character to womensrepresentation within trade union structures using specificintegration mechanisms such as quotasrdquo

Capacity building

The campaign has undoubtedly been successful in the areaof recruitment although the increase in membership cannotonly be attributed to the campaign the efforts of theorganising committee have also contributedrdquo says Amal elAmri

Asma Elbassir (1) a member of the youth committee and thewomen committee adds We have strengthened our skills astrade unionists by boosting self-confidence Women havestrengthened their capabilities and are better equipped totake on trade union responsibilitiesrdquo(1) Read the full interview of Asma Elbassir at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

bullbullbull

ldquo The campaign hasalso led to anincrease in thenumber of womenrepresentativeswithin decision-making structuresAmal El Amrirdquo

such as the NationalCouncil which is anintermediary bodybetween the NationalSecretariat and theAdministrativeCommitteerdquo says AmalEl Amri But ldquowhilst anumber of women holdpost of responsibilitywithin the nationalfederations local andsectoral unions aswell as in a variety ofdepartments thenumber of womenseconded to full-timeposts has notincreasedrdquo adds AmalEl Amri

UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull3

awareness of among both men and women training and thesetting up of the womens committees at regional sectoraland national level

National seminars on womens integration within unionsand campaigning techniques were organised by theWomens Committee followed by regional seminars to traincampaign groups in charge of raising womens awarenessabout the need to organise The campaign groups alongwith the womens committees of the local and regionalunions have organised activities and meetings as well asvisits to the workers in their production units andelsewhere explains Amal El Amri We have takenadvantage of each and every trade union event (congressesnational councils International Womens Day the 50thanniversary of the UMT) to publicise the campaign

Targeting specific needs

Its obviously much easier in unionised companies becausethe campaign can count on the trade unions nucleus thatalready exists convincing the members of the need to createa specific framework for women to target their specificneeds and bring a trade union response to their problemsIts more difficult however in companies where there is nounion where we have to start from scratch setting up anorganising committee and a calendar of activities placingemphasis on gender specific issues and showing how thestrength of the union can help women explains KhadijaRhamiri To be able to organise more women its importantto start with cultural activities presentations about subjectsof interest to the women targeted or literacy classes whichallow us to get closer to women workers and theirconcernsrdquo

As Amal El Amri explains ldquoWe tell women that if they all joina union together en masse the employer will ultimately have

Female membership of the UMT stands at 57600 out ofa total membership of 320000 (2006) This female

presence in the union is largely concentrated in the servicebranches (banks social security and social protectionutilities textile and garments occupational training agri-food agriculture health and public institutions)

ldquoThe mass redundancies factory closures and thedevelopment of atypical forms of employment generated bythe globalisation of the economy have led to a fall inmembers especially womenrdquo explains Amal el Amri amember of the ITUC Womenrsquos Committee and coordinator ofthe national campaign to unionise women in Morocco whichis linked to the international trade union campaign ldquoUnionsfor Women ndash Women for Unionsrdquo (see page 7)

In Morocco the campaign objectives include increasingfemale membership by 5 identifying the obstacles to theunionisation of women and the solutions to overcome themreinforcing the training of women trade union trainerssetting up or strengthening local regional and sectoralwomenrsquos committees and feminising trade union structuresat all levels particularly leadership structures

One plus one strategy

The campaign is targeting women working in predominantlyfemale sectors (textile agri-food services chemicalproducts agriculture) placing special emphasis on those inlow skilled jobs with the poorest working conditions and thegreatest restrictions on trade union rights and freedoms(textile and agri-food) who often work in the informaleconomy

The method promoted is the ldquoone plus onerdquo strategywhereby each woman recruits another one CasablancaMohammedia Rabat Tangier Marrakech Safiel JadidaMekneshellip all these towns and regions have been targetedone after another by the campaign A wide range of activitieshave been organised such as seminars sessions to raise

Workersrsquo rights violations

Morocco has not yet ratified ILOConvention 87 ldquoUnder theLabour Code trade union actionis still punishable by law andmany trade unionists are oftenmaltreated and arrestedrdquodenounces Khadija RhamirildquoEverything is done to restrict theright to strike by insidious meansAlthough improvements in labourlegislation have been achievedthanks to the fight led by theUMT and others employers donrsquotrespect it The health and safetyconditions are terrible inmarginalized sectors such asagri-food textiles and tourismLegal working hours are oftenviolated and abusive use is madeof fixed term contractsApprenticeships are also used asa pretext for exploitation Thelegal minimum wage (between180 and 200 euros) is notrespected and employers arecurrently campaigning toundermine this principle by tryingto impose regional and sectoralminimum wages The right tobreastfeed at work is notrespectedrdquo

The agricultural sector underscrutiny

ldquoAgriculture is the sector wherewomen workers are often facedwith the worst conditions and themost blatant discriminationMany are not declared and haveno social security coverageSexual harassment is consideredthe norm with farm managersdoing whatever they please as ifthe women were their propertyWomen who refuse theiradvances are sacked They areldquorights-free zonesrdquo which is whythe UMT is putting great effortsinto trying to organise women inthe agricultural sectorrdquo saysKhadija Rhamiri

The campaign has made women aware oftheir strengthThe aims the obstacles the gains hellip an initial campaign assessment

Out of a total membership of 320000 in 2006 57600 are women ie 12

Female trade union membership is concentrated in the services

The UMT trade union confederation has had a specific structure for organising women since the sixties the ldquoUnion Progressiste des femmes duMarocrdquo which even organises housewives

In 1995 the National Committee of Working Women was created comprising 23 members and represented on the Administrative Committeewhich is a decision-making body The National Committee of Women Workers meets every quarter and reports to the Executive Bureau

Since then the integration of women has progressed at all levels of the UMT (decision-making bodies congresses national councils sectoralfederations regional and local unions workplace unions and committees)

At the last UMT Congress female representation was 20

The UMT is also represented by a woman Khadija Rhamiri who is also a member of the lower house of the Moroccan parliament

Only one out of the seven seats on the National Bureau of the UMT is occupied by a woman The Bureau is elected every four years

ldquoWhilst a number of women hold posts of responsibility within the national federations the sectoral and local unions as well as in a variety ofdepartments the number of women seconded to full-time posts has not increasedrdquo laments Amal El Amri

The UMT and women

bullbullbull

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

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ary

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bull 4

to give in because he cannot dismiss all of them at oncerdquoThis statement was published in the Moroccan press whichtestifies to the unquestionable progress made by thecampaign making women aware of their strength

The campaign has also shown great determination incoordinating activities with civil society groups especiallywomens organisations and associations defending humanrights and womens rights

The double workload obstacle

Moroccan women are torn between their countless tasks aburden that often prevents them from getting involved in aunion ldquoThe domestic tasks they are bundled with preventthem from getting fully involving the public sphere lamentsKhadija Rhamiri

Another obstacle to the unionisation of women is thetraditional view that trade unions are the exclusive realm ofmen in which women suffer from the same alienation anddiscrimination as in the workplace and rarely have access todecision-making posts

People still hold the view that the trade union movement is amans world Some women even propagate this idea Womenunderestimate their abilities and stop themselves fromseizing certain opportunities Men and women have to fighttogether to change these images within society When wedeal with issues specific to women its essential that menalso take part so they understand that women really do facespecific problems as they are often unaware of the fact orprefer to ignore it But thanks to our campaign work I thinkwe have really made progress in the fight against suchbeliefsrdquo says Khadija Rhamiri

Better womens representation

The campaign has succeeded in setting up womenscommittees in certain regional unions such as in Safi andMeknegraves whilst those already existing such as in Marrakechand El Jadida have been injected with new dynamicSectoral womens committees have also been set up in thetextiles utilities Social Security railways health publicservice and occupational training sectors

The campaign has also led to an increase in the number ofwomen representatives within decision-making structures

ldquoThanks to the ICFTU and ILO campaigns to raise the rate offemale participation in trade union activities to at least 30we have managed to surpass the 30 mark in trade unionseminars and general training activities This is veryimportant as a means of raising womens awareness abouttheir situation and helping them to overcome the obstacleshindering their full involvement in trade unions Women arebecoming ever more present on negotiating teams includingsocial dialogue with the government says Amal

There are however certain limitations on the application ofthis minimum participation rate of 30 There are objectivelimitations In areas where the workforce is predominantlymale such as port and oil activities there is virtually nofemale presence One exception is the railways where greatefforts are being made to integrate women despite thepredominance of men in this sector As regards missionsabroad the obstacles to reaching the 30 target include thenature of the mission and the type of trade union post orprofile required to take part in it in addition to all-too-oftenobjective limitations linked to the predominance of maleculturerdquo adds Amal el Amri

Only a few federations have amended their statutes toinclude quotas for women but we plan to take advantage ofthe congresses held by local unions federations and nationalorganisations to propose changes to the statutes with a viewto better integrating women within their trade unionstructuresrdquo says Amal adding that efforts still have to bemade to give an official and statutory character to womensrepresentation within trade union structures using specificintegration mechanisms such as quotasrdquo

Capacity building

The campaign has undoubtedly been successful in the areaof recruitment although the increase in membership cannotonly be attributed to the campaign the efforts of theorganising committee have also contributedrdquo says Amal elAmri

Asma Elbassir (1) a member of the youth committee and thewomen committee adds We have strengthened our skills astrade unionists by boosting self-confidence Women havestrengthened their capabilities and are better equipped totake on trade union responsibilitiesrdquo(1) Read the full interview of Asma Elbassir at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

bullbullbull

ldquo The campaign hasalso led to anincrease in thenumber of womenrepresentativeswithin decision-making structuresAmal El Amrirdquo

such as the NationalCouncil which is anintermediary bodybetween the NationalSecretariat and theAdministrativeCommitteerdquo says AmalEl Amri But ldquowhilst anumber of women holdpost of responsibilitywithin the nationalfederations local andsectoral unions aswell as in a variety ofdepartments thenumber of womenseconded to full-timeposts has notincreasedrdquo adds AmalEl Amri

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 4

to give in because he cannot dismiss all of them at oncerdquoThis statement was published in the Moroccan press whichtestifies to the unquestionable progress made by thecampaign making women aware of their strength

The campaign has also shown great determination incoordinating activities with civil society groups especiallywomens organisations and associations defending humanrights and womens rights

The double workload obstacle

Moroccan women are torn between their countless tasks aburden that often prevents them from getting involved in aunion ldquoThe domestic tasks they are bundled with preventthem from getting fully involving the public sphere lamentsKhadija Rhamiri

Another obstacle to the unionisation of women is thetraditional view that trade unions are the exclusive realm ofmen in which women suffer from the same alienation anddiscrimination as in the workplace and rarely have access todecision-making posts

People still hold the view that the trade union movement is amans world Some women even propagate this idea Womenunderestimate their abilities and stop themselves fromseizing certain opportunities Men and women have to fighttogether to change these images within society When wedeal with issues specific to women its essential that menalso take part so they understand that women really do facespecific problems as they are often unaware of the fact orprefer to ignore it But thanks to our campaign work I thinkwe have really made progress in the fight against suchbeliefsrdquo says Khadija Rhamiri

Better womens representation

The campaign has succeeded in setting up womenscommittees in certain regional unions such as in Safi andMeknegraves whilst those already existing such as in Marrakechand El Jadida have been injected with new dynamicSectoral womens committees have also been set up in thetextiles utilities Social Security railways health publicservice and occupational training sectors

The campaign has also led to an increase in the number ofwomen representatives within decision-making structures

ldquoThanks to the ICFTU and ILO campaigns to raise the rate offemale participation in trade union activities to at least 30we have managed to surpass the 30 mark in trade unionseminars and general training activities This is veryimportant as a means of raising womens awareness abouttheir situation and helping them to overcome the obstacleshindering their full involvement in trade unions Women arebecoming ever more present on negotiating teams includingsocial dialogue with the government says Amal

There are however certain limitations on the application ofthis minimum participation rate of 30 There are objectivelimitations In areas where the workforce is predominantlymale such as port and oil activities there is virtually nofemale presence One exception is the railways where greatefforts are being made to integrate women despite thepredominance of men in this sector As regards missionsabroad the obstacles to reaching the 30 target include thenature of the mission and the type of trade union post orprofile required to take part in it in addition to all-too-oftenobjective limitations linked to the predominance of maleculturerdquo adds Amal el Amri

Only a few federations have amended their statutes toinclude quotas for women but we plan to take advantage ofthe congresses held by local unions federations and nationalorganisations to propose changes to the statutes with a viewto better integrating women within their trade unionstructuresrdquo says Amal adding that efforts still have to bemade to give an official and statutory character to womensrepresentation within trade union structures using specificintegration mechanisms such as quotasrdquo

Capacity building

The campaign has undoubtedly been successful in the areaof recruitment although the increase in membership cannotonly be attributed to the campaign the efforts of theorganising committee have also contributedrdquo says Amal elAmri

Asma Elbassir (1) a member of the youth committee and thewomen committee adds We have strengthened our skills astrade unionists by boosting self-confidence Women havestrengthened their capabilities and are better equipped totake on trade union responsibilitiesrdquo(1) Read the full interview of Asma Elbassir at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

bullbullbull

ldquo The campaign hasalso led to anincrease in thenumber of womenrepresentativeswithin decision-making structuresAmal El Amrirdquo

such as the NationalCouncil which is anintermediary bodybetween the NationalSecretariat and theAdministrativeCommitteerdquo says AmalEl Amri But ldquowhilst anumber of women holdpost of responsibilitywithin the nationalfederations local andsectoral unions aswell as in a variety ofdepartments thenumber of womenseconded to full-timeposts has notincreasedrdquo adds AmalEl Amri

UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull5

the minimum wage or being subscribed to the social securityfund She had no right to holiday leave and worked sevendays a week except on the day of the annual sheep festivalWhen the boss found out that she had joined a union shewas sacked on the spot(1) Read the full interview of Samira Kinami at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle517amplang=en

The formation of the Organisation of Women in theAgricultural Sector (OFSA) in 1999 has been followed up

by action plans to unionise the women in the sector ldquoWestarted with the women in administrative posts organising acampaign lasting almost three years on sexual harassmentand womenrsquos working conditions in the sector In 2003 asmembers the UMTrsquos national womenrsquos committee we joinedin the lsquoUnions for Women ndash Women for Unionsrsquo campaignintegrating it within our action planrdquo explains Samira Kinami(1) of the agricultural branch of the UMT We then took onthe difficult task of organising female agricultural labourerswho are faced with the abuses of their employers and thenon respect of trade union rights The case that marked methe most is that of ldquomi Aichardquo Mi Aicha was working at LaClementine a farm producing flowers for export whichrespects neither the labour laws nor the human andeconomic rights guaranteed by international law ldquoMi Aichardquohad worked there for over thirty years without ever receiving

Fired on the spot

() The International Trade Union Confederation is carrying out an ambitious international campaign with the Global UnionFederations (GUFs) aimed at organising women workers around the world called ldquoUnions for women women for unionsrdquo Thecampaign is focusing primarily on women workers in the exporting processing zones and the informal economy and onmigrant women workers Fifty-five ITUC-affiliated trade unions from 43 different countries and at least 20 GUF affiliates from20 different countries are involved in this global campaign which is part of the campaign to organise women workersoriginally launched by the former ICFTU in 2002 and then re-launched in 2004 Under that global campaign the former ICFTU had launched a two-year organising campaign in three countries in the Maghribregion Algeria Morocco and Mauritania supported by the publication of a campaign guide in Arabic In September 2006 a seminar was held in Marrakech to evaluate the campaignrsquos achievements in Morocco and Algeria whiththe support of he Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Over forty Moroccan and Algerian women trade unionists were therebygiven the opportunity to evaluate the initial results of the campaign in their respective countries and to exchange theirexperiences at local level

UNIO

N VI

SION

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull 6

Solidaridad sindicalinternacional para las zonasfrancas

Las zonas francas de exportacioacutende Marruecos al igual que en elresto del mundo son hostiles atoda penetracioacuten sindical Parareforzar la capacidad sindical enlas zonas francas ldquolos sindicatosnecesitan disponer de maacutesmedios en el terreno tantohumanos como financieros Haytambieacuten una gran demanda deinformacioacuten y de intercambios deexperiencias y teacutecnicas desindicalizacioacuten A comienzos deeste antildeo el gobierno llevoacute a lospatrones en un viaje comercial alas zonas francas de exportacioacutende Meacutexico a fin de que seinspiren en el pretendido eacutexitoeconoacutemico mexicano iexclSeriacuteanecesario que del lado sindicaltambieacuten se hicieran talesexperiencias transfronterizasrdquoreclama Habiba Zahi (miembrode la oficina ejecutiva de la CDT)

Textiles automobile assembly serviceshellip spurred by theambitious Tangier-Med project aimed at making the port of

Tangier the ldquoDubai of the Mediterraneanrdquo the export processingzones in the region are developing fast attracting floods of jobseekers from economically depressed regions of the country

The subcontracting circuits between the factories inside andoutside the zones are highly developed ldquoThere three categoriesof working conditions according to the size of the factory Thesmaller the production unit the poorer the working conditions Inthe smallest units the working conditions are medieval theworkers receive no pay slips have no employment contractsand no social security coveragerdquo explains Khamlichi Boubker atrade unionist with the UMT and human rights activist

ldquoComparatively better-off thanks to their proximity to the port(unlike those in Rabat) the large factories in Tangier respect thelegal minimum wage but the wages in the subcontractingworkshops are very low The conditions are worse in the portrsquosold zone than in the large electronic and automobile partsfactories in the new zone The former labour code established a48 hour working week for a legal minimum wage of 1826dirhams (less than 180 euros) The new code has cut theworking week to 44 hours but the bosses only pay for 44hours which means an actual fall in the minimum wage to anaverage of 1500 dirhams in most companies (less than 150euros) As regards the payment of overtime it varies accordingto the employersrdquo adds Khamlichi Boubker

Scattered among the various new districts on the outskirts ofTangiers where the living conditions are deplorable youngwomen workers live in a highly precarious environment runningthe risk of falling into prostitution during slack periods in thefactories

Unions prohibited

Many of the factories that were unionised in the past wereclosed down in the eighties only to be later reopened en

Tangier penetrating the EPZ fortressmasse with the difference that any trade union activity wasstrictly prohibited

The fear of losing their jobs prevents many workers fromjoining a union which is why the unionists on the ground andhuman rights activists have set up an association calledldquoAttaasoulrdquo (communication) as a first step in the process oforganising women textile workers in the export processingzones of Tangiers ldquoWe raise the womenrsquos awareness abouttheir rights itrsquos an initial gentle approach to teaching themabout solidarity mechanisms But the idea in the long term isto prepare the ground for their future unionisation tomobilise women textile workers and create a genuinemovementrdquo explains Khamlichi Boubker

An awareness raising association

Dismissed for her trade union activism at a Belgian-ownedtextile factory in the port zone Fouzilla an active member ofthe awareness raising association is now working for aMoroccan factory that subcontracts for major internationalbrands in the airport zone which is fenced off as if it were amilitary base ldquoI receive no pay slip Yesterday once again Idid unpaid overtimerdquo recounts Fouzilla going on to list thedifficulties facing textile workers ldquono refectory for eatingdifficulty breastfeeding no company doctors insufficientmedicines at the workplace sexual harassment in mostfactorieshelliprdquo

In response to the serious problem of childcare theassociation is seeking outside help to support its project toset up a cregraveche for the workersrsquo children ldquoWe would also liketo buy some washing machines to set up a laundry becausethe workers are left with no time for this task We would alsolike to open our own premises a place with a smallchildrenrsquos library a place where the women can relax andfeel supported in spite of their working and living conditionswhich are so difficult We have lots of good intentions but nobudgetrdquo

example of the legalaction taken against 15women working for thePortuguese garmentmanufacturer DOVTEXin Casablanca

As regards the smallinformal units oftenbased in workersrsquohomes the opacity istotal

Insecurity

Safety is a majorpreoccupation amongwomen textile workerswhether it be in the immediate surroundings of the factoryor the transport to and from work ldquoThe women have to beaccompanied by a man their husband or a brother on paydays On 8 March we organised a mass sit-in in Rabat onthe issue of womenrsquos safety in the industrial zonesrdquorecounts Khadija Ramiri

Over 71 of the employees in Moroccorsquos garment industryare women many of whom are under 30 ldquoThe new

labour law came into force in July 2004 but seriousproblems remain as regards its application in the textilesector such as bringing working hours down from 48 to 44hours without wage cuts In reality when the working hoursare cut the wages are toordquo explains Khadija Ramiri ldquoThebosses are pushing for increased productivity by means ofpiecework A daily quota has to be met and no pay is givenfor any alterations that may be have to be made

Employers are taking ever more frequent recourse to fixedterm contracts (6-month renewable contracts) ldquoSince supplyoutstrips demand the bosses do everything in their power toget rid of the workers that have been there for a long timesome for as long as ten to fifteen yearsrdquo

The non ratification of ILO Convention 87 on freedom ofassociation and protection of the right to organize poses aserious problem in the textile sector As soon as a trade unionbureau is set up its members are arrested or dismissedAccording to the law workers who want to join a union riskprosecutionrdquo says Khadija Ramiri going on to quote the

Textile workersrsquo frayed rights

UNIO

N VI

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01

Janu

ary

2007

bull7

Greater visibility for youngpeople

Although young people make uptwo thirds of the populationldquoMoroccos policies have notsufficiently integrated youngpeople in the global developmentequationrdquo explains AsmaElbassir (1) a public employeewith the social service ofCasablanca and a member ofthe UMT womens committeeand youth committee (14 menand 3 women) ldquoThe lack ofprospects the difficulties infulfilling onersquos ambitionsunemployment illegalimmigration poverty drugsgraduate unemployment hellip allthese problems bear witness tothe failure to make the most ofthe nationrsquos human resourcesThese young people want to takepart in a new culture ofconfidence and recognition Theywant a greater voice integrationmechanisms and opportunities toparticipate and develop newrelations with the State societyand the nation The trade unionmovement must also work in thisdirection Efforts must be madeto mobilise young people andraise their awareness as theyfeel a real need for greatervisibility(1)Read the full interview of Asma Elbassirat httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

ldquoImproving competitiveness in the textile-clothing sector through decent workrdquo is the title of the pilot project launched four years ago by the ILO inMorocco (1) In the framework of this project the ILO carried out a study reflecting the working conditions in the sector on the basis of which thework to draw up a strategy was commenced The first great merit of this project is that all the social partners the unions (CDT UGTM and UMT)employers and public authorities have been brought together around the same table

ldquoThanks to this programme the government and the Moroccan social partners have clearly integrated a social dimension into their response to thenew challenges presented by the liberalisation of global trade in textiles and the end of the quota system They have broadened their strategy tobring the industry up to date with the new competitive environmentrdquo says Jean-Paul Salhau a textile-clothing sector specialist from the SectoralActivities Department of the ILO

ldquoWith the funding recently received from Spain work is about to commence on setting up a new body a textile-clothing parity committeerdquo rejoicesKhadija Ramiri

Mutual mistrust

ldquoThere isnrsquot yet sufficient mutual trust between the workers and the employers as dismissals continue to be made at the first sign of a union beingformed and the AMIDH (employersrsquo association) does very little in such cases And yet we are not claiming all our rights in one go quite thecontrary we asking for ldquostep-by-steprdquo policy but we have to fight tooth and nail to obtain even the slightest progress The gaps are such that wespend more time trying to make up for the lack of work inspections or fighting for the application of the labour code than actually carrying out ourreal trade union mission of claiming additional rights

Employers project such a negative image of the trade unions diabolising us to such an extent that simply managing to all sit together around thesame table thanks to the ILO project is already a step forward But we are eager to see some concrete results We are in favour of improvingcompetitiveness but not at the expense of the workers China shouldnrsquot be used as a pretext for violating all their rightsrdquo warned Khadija Ramiri(1) The project is part of a global ILO programme involving eight countries Bangladesh Bahrain Denmark Ghana Kazakhstan Morocco Panama and the Philippines

ILO pilot projectthe unions are eager for results

New Family Codeprogress and limitationsThe new Family Code adopted by the Moroccan parliament in 2004 is presented as a ldquogentlerdquo reform acompromise between the desire to modernise society whilst avoiding head-on confrontation with traditionalistreligious circles

The ldquowomanrsquos obedience to her husbandrdquo rule has beenremoved and the family has now been placed under the

joint responsibility of the two spouses Women no longerneed the permission of a male guardian to marry Theminimum age for marriage was raised from 15 to 18 yearsfor women bringing it into line with the age for men

Polygamy is not forbidden but the conditions laid downmake it virtually impossible A woman can condition hermarriage to the husbandrsquos acceptance that he will not takeother wives The husband requires court authorisation beforemarrying another wife Repudiation previously the exclusiveright of the husband is subject to the prior authorisation ofthe court Women are able to ask for a divorce more easilyand are prioritised as regards the custody of the children

ldquoThe problem now lies in the application of these newprovisionsrdquo comments Amal El Amri The proceedings arelong and costly with often little chance of being settled

The UMT Womenrsquos Committee is working to ensure theproper application of the new provisions and insists on theneed to make them more widely known and understood toensure that women are fully aware of their rights and to

train female negotiators capable of defending these newrights

ldquoIt is presented as a lsquogreat qualitative leaprsquo and it is true thatitrsquos a step in the right direction demonstrating we were rightto have fought for all these yearsrdquo explains Khadija RhamirildquoBut nothing has changed in terms of substance in terms ofthe principles they are simply changes of form The courtsare overwhelmed with repudiation and divorce cases Theearly marriage of a young underage girl can still beauthorised by a judge which is often the case in very remoterural areas The patriarchal mentality remains very muchpresent and we have to keep up the fight to makeprogressrdquo

According to a recent official survey () over a third of theMoroccan population are not aware that a new Family Codehas been passed a percentage that reaches 45 in ruralareas Only 23 approve of the abolishment of a marriageguardian for women 24 were not in favour of womenworking 77 considered that a womanrsquos place is in thehome 18 thought that womenrsquos access to employmentcompetes with that of men() Carried out by the HCP (Haut Commissariat au Plan) and published end September 2006

UNIO

N VI

EW

01

Janu

ary

2007

bull7

Greater visibility for youngpeople

Although young people make uptwo thirds of the populationldquoMoroccos policies have notsufficiently integrated youngpeople in the global developmentequationrdquo explains AsmaElbassir (1) a public employeewith the social service ofCasablanca and a member ofthe UMT womens committeeand youth committee (14 menand 3 women) ldquoThe lack ofprospects the difficulties infulfilling onersquos ambitionsunemployment illegalimmigration poverty drugsgraduate unemployment hellip allthese problems bear witness tothe failure to make the most ofthe nationrsquos human resourcesThese young people want to takepart in a new culture ofconfidence and recognition Theywant a greater voice integrationmechanisms and opportunities toparticipate and develop newrelations with the State societyand the nation The trade unionmovement must also work in thisdirection Efforts must be madeto mobilise young people andraise their awareness as theyfeel a real need for greatervisibility(1)Read the full interview of Asma Elbassirat httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle512amplang=en

ldquoImproving competitiveness in the textile-clothing sector through decent workrdquo is the title of the pilot project launched four years ago by the ILO inMorocco (1) In the framework of this project the ILO carried out a study reflecting the working conditions in the sector on the basis of which thework to draw up a strategy was commenced The first great merit of this project is that all the social partners the unions (CDT UGTM and UMT)employers and public authorities have been brought together around the same table

ldquoThanks to this programme the government and the Moroccan social partners have clearly integrated a social dimension into their response to thenew challenges presented by the liberalisation of global trade in textiles and the end of the quota system They have broadened their strategy tobring the industry up to date with the new competitive environmentrdquo says Jean-Paul Salhau a textile-clothing sector specialist from the SectoralActivities Department of the ILO

ldquoWith the funding recently received from Spain work is about to commence on setting up a new body a textile-clothing parity committeerdquo rejoicesKhadija Ramiri

Mutual mistrust

ldquoThere isnrsquot yet sufficient mutual trust between the workers and the employers as dismissals continue to be made at the first sign of a union beingformed and the AMIDH (employersrsquo association) does very little in such cases And yet we are not claiming all our rights in one go quite thecontrary we asking for ldquostep-by-steprdquo policy but we have to fight tooth and nail to obtain even the slightest progress The gaps are such that wespend more time trying to make up for the lack of work inspections or fighting for the application of the labour code than actually carrying out ourreal trade union mission of claiming additional rights

Employers project such a negative image of the trade unions diabolising us to such an extent that simply managing to all sit together around thesame table thanks to the ILO project is already a step forward But we are eager to see some concrete results We are in favour of improvingcompetitiveness but not at the expense of the workers China shouldnrsquot be used as a pretext for violating all their rightsrdquo warned Khadija Ramiri(1) The project is part of a global ILO programme involving eight countries Bangladesh Bahrain Denmark Ghana Kazakhstan Morocco Panama and the Philippines

ILO pilot projectthe unions are eager for results

New Family Codeprogress and limitationsThe new Family Code adopted by the Moroccan parliament in 2004 is presented as a ldquogentlerdquo reform acompromise between the desire to modernise society whilst avoiding head-on confrontation with traditionalistreligious circles

The ldquowomanrsquos obedience to her husbandrdquo rule has beenremoved and the family has now been placed under the

joint responsibility of the two spouses Women no longerneed the permission of a male guardian to marry Theminimum age for marriage was raised from 15 to 18 yearsfor women bringing it into line with the age for men

Polygamy is not forbidden but the conditions laid downmake it virtually impossible A woman can condition hermarriage to the husbandrsquos acceptance that he will not takeother wives The husband requires court authorisation beforemarrying another wife Repudiation previously the exclusiveright of the husband is subject to the prior authorisation ofthe court Women are able to ask for a divorce more easilyand are prioritised as regards the custody of the children

ldquoThe problem now lies in the application of these newprovisionsrdquo comments Amal El Amri The proceedings arelong and costly with often little chance of being settled

The UMT Womenrsquos Committee is working to ensure theproper application of the new provisions and insists on theneed to make them more widely known and understood toensure that women are fully aware of their rights and to

train female negotiators capable of defending these newrights

ldquoIt is presented as a lsquogreat qualitative leaprsquo and it is true thatitrsquos a step in the right direction demonstrating we were rightto have fought for all these yearsrdquo explains Khadija RhamirildquoBut nothing has changed in terms of substance in terms ofthe principles they are simply changes of form The courtsare overwhelmed with repudiation and divorce cases Theearly marriage of a young underage girl can still beauthorised by a judge which is often the case in very remoterural areas The patriarchal mentality remains very muchpresent and we have to keep up the fight to makeprogressrdquo

According to a recent official survey () over a third of theMoroccan population are not aware that a new Family Codehas been passed a percentage that reaches 45 in ruralareas Only 23 approve of the abolishment of a marriageguardian for women 24 were not in favour of womenworking 77 considered that a womanrsquos place is in thehome 18 thought that womenrsquos access to employmentcompetes with that of men() Carried out by the HCP (Haut Commissariat au Plan) and published end September 2006

Publ

ishe

r res

pons

ible

in la

w

Guy

Ryde

rGe

nera

l sec

reta

ryl

ITUC

5 Bl

d du

Roi

Alb

ert I

IBt

e 1

1210

-Bru

ssel

sBe

lgiu

mTe

l+3

2 2

2240

211

Fax

+32

2 20

1581

5E-

Mai

lpr

ess

ituc-

csio

rg bull

Web

Site

http

w

ww

ituc

-csi

org

Repo

rt N

atac

ha D

avid

Edito

r in

Chie

fNa

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a Da

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Layo

utV

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te C

eped

al

The plight of the ldquolittle maidsrdquoIn Morocco 600000 children aged between 7 and 14 are

working when they should be at school An impressivefigure along with that of the 800000 other children who donot work but even so do not attend school

In December 2005 Human Rights Watch (HRW) denouncedthe plight of Moroccorsquos child maids who work up to 126hours a week and are physically or sexually abused by theiremployers In a report entitled ldquoInside the Home Outside theLawrdquo HRW underlines that Morocco has one of the highestrates of child labour in North Africa and the Middle EastldquoMoroccorsquos Labor Code excludes domestic workers andlabor inspectors lack the authority to enter private homes toinvestigate violations of the general prohibition on theemployment of children under fifteenrdquo the report denounces

Traditionally a very widespread phenomenon in Morocco ithas reached even greater proportions with womenrsquos accessto employment and largely involves girls fromunderprivileged rural environments

ldquoYou will find a little maid in every Moroccan family Someare not even 7 years old Domestic chores can be very heavytasks for children of that age But this phenomenon doesnrsquotprick the conscience of Moroccan families or thegovernment Wersquore used to it itrsquos part of our culture thatrsquosthe worst thingrdquo denounces Majda Fahchouch a teacherpresenter of a TV programme for children and the nationalcoordinator of a national trade union project to fight againstchild labour and descholarisation (1)

ldquoA hard battle has to be fought for a specific law to be drawnup to counter the fact that they are excluded from theLabour Code Prohibiting it outright will not solve theproblem Itrsquos going to take a lot of hard work andcompulsory schooling will have to be accompanied byconcrete measures to fund education and help parents tocompensate for the loss of earningsrdquo(1) For more information on this project jointly implemented by the Dutch and Moroccanteachersrsquo unions AOb and SNE read the full interview of Majda Fahchouch on the subject (June2006) at httpwwwicftuorgdisplaydocumentaspIndex=991224576ampLanguage=EN

Naima Bouguerjouma (1) womenrsquos coordinator and staff union representative at apolyclinic in Marrakech was the first woman to gain access in 2003 to the post ofgeneral supervisor of the polyclinic where the major concerns include ensuringrespect for the right to breastfeed at work ending sexual harassment and womenrsquosaccess to positions of responsibility ldquoThis post had been reserved for men only upuntil then but thanks to the trade union fight I was able to become the first womanto take on this role Until recently women could not hold positions of responsibility atthe clinic but that is changing now Women have understood that joining a unionprovides them with more rights Women workers have to live with the fear of sexualand moral harassment but when there are women in positions of responsibility theyfeel more at ease they feel more confident and work more efficientlyrdquo(1) Read the full interview of Naiumlma Bouguerjouma at httpwwwituc-csiorgspipphparticle504amplang=en

bull Naima Bouguerjouma

ldquoWomen feel more at easerdquo

Axa and Orange following on from BNP-Paribas Tata Renault Cap Gemini GFI Informatique France Telecom Accenture Atos Origine and Uniloghave recently announced the relocation of jobs to Morocco The French insurance company AXA the worldrsquos number three insurer has announcedthat 1500 jobs (call centre and administrative) are to be relocated to Morocco by 2012 According to the French trade union confederation theCFDT these relocations are motivated by the companys inability to impose increased job flexibility on its French employees The mobile telephoneoperator ldquoOrangerdquo has for its part announce the relocation of over a thousand jobs from France to Morocco probably Casablanca

Casashore Rabat Technopolis Tangershore and Marrakechshore are among the many projects aimed at creating 100000 direct and indirect jobslinked to the outsourcing of services by large international companies attracted by fiscal incentives ldquoWe are starting to target call centres weavingan initial network of impact pointsrdquo explains Khadija Rhamiri

The CDT is on the same track ldquoI work at Morocco Telecom where the basic salaries and bonuses are higher for the workers hired before 2003than for those contracted after that date The proliferation of call centres where salaries are lower than at Maroc Telecom is not unconnected withthis downward trend which is similarly reinforced by competition from the call centres in Tunisiardquo says Habiba Zahi a member of the CDTExecutive Bureau and president of the Moroccan Association for Womenrsquos Rights ldquoWe have embarked on an awareness raising campaign amongthe young call centre workers who are trying to contact other young people in the same sector Most of them have a good level of education buthavenrsquot been able to find work corresponding to their degree of qualification They often work part time which adds to the difficulty in organisingthemrdquo

Call centres a new target for trade unions