As the price of diesel has risen again and is now around 16 dirhams per litre in Morocco, road transporters are threatening to call a national strike. This is how they hope to be heard by the government. Yet a process of exceptional financial support to them granted from last March by the executive has taken into account about 180,000 drivers.
Soaring fuel prices, insufficient subsidies… A strike is looming over the Moroccan road sector. Indeed, in a press release, the coordination of trade unions in the road haulage sector, which includes unions affiliated to the Democratic Confederation of Labour (CDT), the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM) and the National Union of Labour in Morocco (UNTM), has denounced the unfavourable conditions in the sector. These conditions “continue to deteriorate day by day as a result of soaring commodity prices, led by fuel,” the document states. Thus, the road transport sector is still suffering from the persistent rise in the price of hydrocarbons, pointing to the inadequacy of the subsidy granted to professionals in the sector.
According to the actors, several letters were sent to the Head of Government asking him to mitigate the impact of price inflation and also to rethink his policies and strategies, particularly those relating to the modalities of the exceptional financial support granted. The last correspondence regarding this issue was dated 24 October 2022, without any follow-up.
Insufficient subsidy
Indeed, in order to support road transport professionals and improve their situation, the government launched an exceptional support process for professionals last March, and has granted a total subsidy of 3.014 billion dirhams for about 180,000 drivers. This support, distributed according to categories, reached 2,200 dirhams for large taxis, 1,600 dirhams for small taxis, 1,800 dirhams for mixed transport vehicles in the rural world, 7,000 dirhams for inter-city coaches and finally 6,200 dirhams for buses.
However, the coordination reported that these supports were insufficient to mitigate the rising fuel prices, which are now at record levels. She also added that some professionals have not yet received any of the tranches granted, due to shortcomings in the procedure. In addition, professionals indicate that the amounts of support were fixed when diesel cost 12 dirhams, while today its price is around 16 dirhams per litre.
In view of this situation, stakeholders emphasise the need for a ceiling on fuel prices for professionals. Or conversely, doubling the amount of subsidies in order to cope with the inflation of hydrocarbon prices.
