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Hundreds of university graduates have held weekly protests for the past 15 years on the streets of the Moroccan capital, demanding safe government jobs because they fear the demands of private business. Mostly holders of degrees in the humanities and social sciences, some of the demonstrators say they would rather die than work for a private firm.
So they demand to be put on the public payroll even though the government has little use for them.
"In the private sector there is no security. You could work for years and one day or the next they will show you the door," said Driss al-Hassnaoui, a member of a 7,000-strong organization of unemployed graduates.
Hassnaoui believes the government is obligated to give him a job.
"We are ready to be integrated in any public position," he said, as protestors waved a banner reading "work or death."
Last month a young woman ate rat poison during one of the demonstrations but did not die. In another incident several other demonstrators suffered severe burns when their Molotov cocktails accidentally exploded on them.
Morocco's official unemployment rate is 10.9 percent. Some 13 percent of the workforce is employed in the public sector, or about 700,000 people. This year some 12,000 people are expected to get government jobs.
"Recruitment in Morocco is not equitable," said Mohammad al-Boukili of the Moroccan Human Rights Association.
"Those who are part of a certain social class or family are favored although the unemployed graduates, who often come from poor backgrounds, are the most in need of work," he said.
But the protesters have little sympathy from the government, which says it simply does not need more public servants with humanities degrees.
Driss Guerraoui, an adviser to the premier, said the graduates could not afford to turn their backs on the private sector.
"They demand jobs in the public sector but they don't have the qualifications for those positions where we need workers," explained the adviser, who is supposed to be dealing with the problem.
"We're looking for economists, telecommunications engineers, people with expertise in languages. We've suggested in vain that they get retrained.
"These unemployed graduates have made a profession of demonstrating," he said, adding that they needed to change their mentality "especially toward the private sector."
Hassnaoui said he was prepared to keep protesting for many more years. "We will continue our sit-in, even if it gets us nowhere for years to come," he said
8 comments:
Wow, that's quite a world view. I don't even know what to say. I'm pretty sure something's missing.
The Morrocan government never fires anyone or lays off workers? There's complete security? They should be required to hire anyone who wants a job? Not to say that government jobs in Morocco aren't given out unfairly, but aren't they at least hiring people who do the work they need? Or is there something else missing in this story?
Maybe the government there should set up a "temp employment" agency. People would be employed and paid by the government but do work for companies that need their skills, and those companies would pay the government
I think they should go on strike for 4 day work days. And if they have them already they should go on strike because it's not fair that everyone one else should get what they have.
not as high a % as employed by the french govt i am sure..
anyhow, they should be told to retrain or have all social benefits withdrawn, what is wrong with these people who study useless subjects and then expect a career ? the universities should reduce the intake. (yes i confess to studying mathematics)
don't expect to see this lot digging dams or working farmland like the great depression, they want cosy jobs
if i had the chance, i'd go back and train as a plumber or electrician.. those skills are seriously in short demand
It is picking at words to state the following, but its a personally meaningful topic for me. There is a big difference between useless and unemployable. You can turn the two into synonyms by saying "The government has no use for additional employees with training in the humanities", but in general these are vastly different terms.
That being said, I feel compelled to add my very American perspective that the government does not owe anyone a job, least of all those who elected a field of study that was unlikely to end in secure employment.
What I want to know is, who is feeding these loust-abouts? Do their parents encourage them in their lazy (and self-destructive) protesting? I mean, they can't even kill themselves properly.
i'm guessing that mary ann's comment comes from her elected field of study-art. she makes a good point about useless vs. unemployable. i chose music, and i know i'll probably have to try a little harder to make ends meet. maybe i should call morroco. i mean, i stayed in a morrocan themed hotel in vegas once. i think they owe me.
Headline should read:
"Worthless youths rally for communism"
I think the government should hire them. Give them gobs right away. There are many positions they could fill. Like mopping floors, picking up trash, pulling weeds in parks, etc. They could pay them what it would cost for 2 meals a day and a movie rental. Oh and since they want the government to have control of their lives then if they don't work, put them in jail.
Wait, there is worse
I had read some time ago.. some armed palestinian faction (PLO maybe) has stormed gouvernement offices of some sort, brandishing weapons and requestiong jobs.
Sorry for the lack of details, I dont care enough to search for the source.
hahaha "we studied, now you give us jobs!!"
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