The National Union of Justice Escalates Its Tone Against the Ministry of Justice

The National Bureau of the National Union of Justice held an extraordinary remote meeting on Monday, April 28, 2025, to discuss national and sectoral developments. This came in response to what it described as “an escalating attack on trade union and social freedoms, and the government’s continued enforcement of authoritarianism and the consolidation of an alliance between wealth and power under the guise of false reforms.”

At the outset of the meeting, the National Secretary presented a report on her participation as part of the labor delegation affiliated with the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) at the 51st Conference of the Arab Labor Organization in Cairo. The delegation advocated for issues affecting the Arab working class, particularly those concerning women workers amid rising economic exploitation and violence.

On the National Level:

The National Bureau affirmed that the government persists in “enacting laws of restriction and oppression, exacerbating the situation with soaring prices, undermining the gains of Moroccan workers, and weaponizing legal frameworks to legitimize exploitation, silence dissent, and suppress protest movements”—especially those opposing unjust social policies. The Bureau also expressed grave concern over “the escalating assault on public freedoms, particularly trade union rights, and the increasing repression and discrimination against activists, as part of a deliberate plan to weaken serious and militant trade unionism.”

On the Sectoral Level:

The National Bureau warned that the situation within the justice sector “foreshadows an imminent explosion due to persistent administrative recklessness and the deliberate provocation of tension by certain figures in the central administration, in a desperate attempt to eradicate the National Union of Justice by weaponizing the administration as a tool of retaliation against its activists and entrenching favoritism and cronyism in management.” It further stated that the justice system reform project “faces structural setbacks due to incompetence and the reliance on loyalty and privilege in appointments to leadership positions, while the Ministry insists on perpetuating administrative failure through a promotion system tailored to the inner circle, devoid of transparency and meritocracy.”

Decisions and Escalatory Measures:

After “thorough and responsible deliberation,” the National Bureau announced the following decisions and actions:

1. Congratulating the National Secretary, Khadija Ma Al-Ainin, on her membership in the Committee for Arab Women’s Affairs, established at the 51st Conference of the Arab Labor Organization. The Bureau deemed this membership “an honor for Moroccan women in general and women in justice in particular, and a critical platform to advocate for national and sectoral issues.”
2. Celebrating International Workers’ Day, particularly honoring the struggling working class and women in justice, while condemning “the brutal exploitation of workers in informal sectors, the persistence of sexual harassment against female workers, and the legalized suppression of the Moroccan people’s right to protest and the dismantling of trade unionism.”
3. Denouncing the “suspicious delays” in resolving compensation files for engineers in the justice sector, holding the Ministry responsible for “potential disruptions to the normal functioning of the judicial administration,” and stressing that “the legitimate demands of engineers are demands shared by all justice employees.”
4. Demanding that the Ministry “resume sectoral negotiations” to amend the statute for court clerks, focusing on the following demands:
   • Creating a new grade within each cadre of court clerks.
   • Increasing promotion rates to 40%.
   • Setting the required years for promotion by selection at eight years and for professional competency exams at four years.
   • Providing compensation for uniforms.
5. Expressing astonishment at the Ministry’s “insistence on obstructing the implementation of the amended statute for court clerks,” particularly regarding the organization of professional competency exams by the end of April.
6. Establishing two follow-up committees:
   • The first to oversee promotions and professional competency exams.
   • The second to manage social welfare, “to safeguard the interests of justice employees and service recipients.”
     The Bureau emphasized that “professional competency cannot be limited to working in the Minister’s office or the private secretariats of central directors.” It also reiterated that the results of selection processes for leadership positions “lack integrity and equality among candidates” and decided to formally address the National Authority for Integrity and Prevention of Corruption on this matter.
7. Declaring that “withholding the results of transfer assignments and failing to implement them is integral to a broader project of humiliating justice sector employees and undermining their dignity,” while questioning the Minister’s announcement of recruiting agricultural engineers for the justice sector and its purpose, given that the required specialization pertains to “food preservation.”
8. Rejecting the “systematic policy of excluding the Ministry’s cadres from decision-making and senior positions,” viewing it as “a deliberate effort to devalue the academic competencies of court clerks and sector engineers, pushing them to leave the sector.” The Bureau also reaffirmed its opposition to appointing a judge to head the Training Directorate, stressing that “judges’ natural place is adjudicating disputes in courts.”
9. Asserting that “career advancement based on fair criteria is a universal right, without discrimination,” and calling for “the abolition of the clause granting administrative officials an additional point per year in leadership roles.”
10. Deciding to wear red armbands for 24 hours on Monday, May 5, 2025, in courts, central administration, and external services, to demand:
    • Finalizing the compensation system for engineers in the justice sector.
    • Revising retaliatory annual employee scoring based on union affiliation.
    • Reviewing promotion-by-selection criteria.
    • Implementing transfer assignment results without union-based bias.
    • Announcing 2025 professional competency exams, holding the Ministry accountable for delays.
    • Initiating sectoral negotiations to amend the court clerks’ statute.

The Bureau emphasized that it would refer to the National Council to determine appropriate protest measures if these legitimate demands were not met.

11. Urging all activists of the National Union of Justice and justice sector workers to “actively participate” in May Day marches, carrying banners highlighting union freedoms in the sector and the Union’s rightful demands.

In closing, the National Bureau reaffirmed its commitment to the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT) and the National Union of Justice as the legitimate representatives of the sector’s workforce.