The tug-of-war continues in Fes between City-bus and its employees

Soon nine months, the urban transport service in Fes will have lived a new experience, namely that of delegated management. Nothing seems to work, however. Monday late afternoon, more than two hundred employees of the City-bus - Fes company took to the streets of Boulevard Hassan II, calling for this urban transport delegate company to leave. "City-bus, get out!", chanted the employees who were brandishing banners, demanding respect for the Labour Code and the end of what they qualify as "abusive dismissal".

The slogans also expressed the grumbling of the employees against Hamid Chabat, president of the City Council, accusing him of having put them in this mess, since the concession granted to this company which respects neither its commitments nor trade union action, the expelled being almost all trade unionists! "If City-bus respects its commitments, why hasn't it settled its arrears dating back to the time of the old autonomous Board that we regret a lot today?", wonders Mohamed, a young

trade unionist, voice broken and megaphone in hand.

By way of a press release, City-bus had accused since the beginning of this tug-of-war a "handful of employees expelled due to serious misconduct of being behind the blocking of the company's car park doors", but also of the "sequestration by force of all the staff". How dare it accuse us of being a handful, when those who are demonstrating today in front of you exceed two hundred?" indignantly says Mohamed.

Some observers of local public affairs estimate that this deteriorated situation is due to "hidden political-union calculations and interests". Spanning a period of 15 renewable years, the concession contract commits the company to invest some 410 million DH after 5 years, with the objective of "turning the sector around, improving the image of the bus, and offering a quality service". The situation has not changed for all that, according to the detractors, who have deserted the union of which Hamid Chabat is himself secretary-general, to join another union structure.

Provider / Source : Mustapha Elouizi, Libération