18 March, 2022Long-term work in building union power in Morocco has resulted in two new national unions in the textile-garment and metal industries, the FNTSIME-UMT and the FNTTCCL-UMT.
IndustriALL Global Union has been running a union-building programme in Morocco for eight years. In February, the two new unions, Fédération Nationale des Travailleurs de Sidérurgie et des Industries Synthétiques de la Métallurgie et de l'Electronique (FNTSIME-UMT) and Fédération Nationale des Travailleurs du Textile, du Cuir, des Chaussures et de L'habillement (FNTTCCL-UMT), held founding conferences in Casablanca.
The two conferences were held under a unified slogan "For a strong union in which rights are preserved and freedoms are protected". Hundreds of delegates and leaders attended the two conferences, as the administrative committee and national offices were elected.
FNTTCCL-UMT elected 72 members for its administrative committee and 25 members for its national offices. FNTSIME-UMT elected 91 members for the administrative committee and 23 members for national offices. A number of women and youth leaders who have been active within IndustriALL networks and training programmes over the past years were elected.
Both unions belong to Morocco’s largest national centre, UMT. During the opening session, UMT general secretary Miloudi Moukharik praised the struggles of the workers in the face of the systematic attack on the rights and gains of the working class. He criticized companies restricting union work and called for more unity and labor solidarity in order to anticipate the future in an organizational framework that unifies and supports the sector's struggle.
"We are establishing these unions to meet the challenges, enhance solidarity and build union strength in the sectors. IndustriALL’s support and solidarity have been vital in accomplishing this important achievement."
Abdelmajid Matoual, far right in the picture, from UMT and IndustriALL’s vice president of the MENA region, also attended the conferences.
"After years of work, we now see the birth of two new unions with many challenges ahead. We congratulate UMT and the comrades from the textile and metal sectors and renew our commitment of solidarity with the two unions.”
Kemal Özkan IndustriALL assistant general secretary, said:
"The two new unions represent an important addition to the union strength in the sectors at regional and global levels. The cooperation with UMT in accomplishing this initiative represents a model of international solidarity that’s based on the committed work of our Moroccan sister and brothers."