As part of the measures taken by the government aimed at preserving the purchasing power of citizens given the conditions characterized by rising fuel prices, transport professionals received, on Thursday 9 March, the ninth installment of the exceptional support which is intended for them.
At a time when union sources reported that professionals in the freight transport sector had received payments under this exceptional subsidy, a group of professionals in the taxi sector were still encountering problems related to the support platform, mouakaba. transport.gov.ma, which prevented them from benefiting from the subsidy.
In a statement to MoroccoLatestNewsMounir Benazouz, National Secretary General of the National Union of Road Transport Professionals, confirmed that the professionals received, on Thursday, the 9th installment of the exceptional support, wondering, however, about the sustainability of this measure decided by the government.
The unions’ demand was to cap fuel prices, something that was not done, confirming that the subsidy should be maintained until gas prices are capped, he recalled, noting that prices have recently seen a slight decline.
In response to MoroccoLatestNews’s question on the progress of the sectoral dialogue, the National SG of the National Union of Road Transport Professionals mentioned the withdrawal of tripartite coordination and his request to the ministry in charge of the sector to look into the priorities, in particular overloading, which constitutes a danger for the profession, professionals and road users, as well as the unfair competition which results therefrom.
The trade unionist also underlined that professionals remain “at the mercy” of customers and companies that force them to break the law, emphasizing in this regard the need to establish source control.
For his part, Mohamed Fadi, Deputy National Secretary of the National Union of the Taxi Sector, said that about 80% of taxi professionals have benefited from the last subsidy, while the rest are still awaiting a solution to the problems cited above.
“ A number of professionals meet all the conditions but do not receive the subsidies, including those with customary contracts Fadi explained, noting that he himself is among those who did not receive the grant.
It should be recalled that the National Coordination of Representative Bodies of the Taxi Transport Sector in Morocco called for a sit-in on March 21 in front of the annex of the Ministry of the Interior in Rabat, which according to it did not not kept the promises announced at the meeting of January 18, 2023 and which concern the urgent resolution of certain points of its claim file.
Among these points is the granting of approval to professional drivers according to conditions taking into account seniority, social status and the absence of an operating permit, which is the case in many cities and regions.
There is also the fight against clandestine transport through applications, specifies the National Coordination of Representative Bodies of the Taxi Transport Sector in Morocco, thus calling on the government to assume its responsibilities to guarantee fair competition.