The Meknes branch of the National Union of Café and Restaurant Owners in Morocco organized a protest on Wednesday, October 16, 2024, in front of the regional office of the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) in Meknes.
The protest aimed to express their rejection of the fines, penalties, and fees imposed by the CNSS, which they view as a heavy burden on a sector still struggling to recover from the economic crisis.
During the protest, professionals held the Minister of Economy and Finance, along with the CNSS Administrative Council, fully responsible for exacerbating the crisis.
They argued that maintaining these fines and penalties only serves to inflame the situation, pushing an already suffering sector further into difficulty without offering financial solutions or exemptions, even during the harshest periods of the COVID-19 lockdown.
The protesters called for the cancellation of fines and penalties and for the original debts to be spread over periods that align with the capabilities of the professionals.
They stressed that the real aim of the CNSS with these measures is to seize commercial assets and business accounts.
Additionally, they demanded the suspension of forced collection procedures and the lifting of seizures on business accounts to enable them to pay their monthly contributions and sustain their businesses.
They also held the Minister of Economic Inclusion, Small Business, Employment, and Skills accountable for the worsening crisis, pointing to the lack of effective measures from his side to address the sector’s situation or curb the rising number of bankruptcies due to these fines.
The local branch of the National Union reaffirmed its readiness to escalate the situation through a national protest in front of the CNSS headquarters, with the date to be determined at an emergency national meeting on Wednesday, October 23, in Tangier.
The union also called on local and regional branches to prepare for the extraordinary national conference scheduled for December 11 and 12, during which further escalation strategies will be discussed.
source : fesnews media