Moroccan Women Posties Strike to Commemorate International Women's Day
Women members of the Fédération Nationale des Postes et Logistiques in Marrakesh show their outrage again this year on International Women's Day as their Poste Maroc still lags behind in implementing national and international labour standards. They mainly protest against the unacceptable working conditions that they face on a daily basis: from excessive working hours, low wages, difficult promotion, no access to higher positions, and stress driven by clients’ complaints.
This impasse prompts women workers to go on strike on International Women’s Day and stage a sit-in for 24 hours in front of the Postal Service in Marrakesh.
“This situation must change and we as representatives of unions in this sector along with all men co-workers will show our solidarity by wearing a badge of the campaign throughout the day and at 5pm today we stand by our women and protest in front of the Post office at the Marrakesh Bank. In line with UNI’s recommendations of attaining 40% of gender representation at different levels, we have the honor to announce that we have elected three women under 35 years old to join our Executive Board, the highest authority within Moroccan Labour Union. By doing so, we have even exceeded our goal. Now the different sectors must also follow suit,” says Mr Abdallah El Ammari, 1st vice General Secretary of the FNPL and President of the alliance of UNI Post and Logistics unions for the Middle East and North Africa region.
Stephen DeMatteo, head of UNI Post and Logistics, based in Nyon, Switzerland, says "We are very concerned by the dire working conditions Moroccan women face in their daily job and stand in solidarity with them today as they go on strike. By the same token, we also welcome the positive changes that the Unions are adopting in Morocco but there is still some unfinished business as this achievement should also be reflected in practical terms in the postal sector as a whole. We will help in every way we can to achieve that goal and salute all women workers in the post and logistics sector on this special day."