Pension reform, a burning issue that will struggle to convince

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While the results of the social agreement appear positive, several stakeholders persist in rejecting what they call ” blackmail “ of the government, which aims to constrain them and give up points, particularly those linked to the reform of pension systems. In any case, the urgency of this reform requires that the different parties come together so that the question of pensions does not become an impasse in social dialogue.

The pension system is now facing problems which ultimately compromise its effectiveness and viability. In this context, the system is based on the coexistence of multiple and diversified retirement systems: the CMR and the RCAR for the public and parapublic sector, the CNSS and the CIMR for the private sector as well as other internal regimes for certain establishments. public. However, compared to this national pension landscape, it is clear that the state of retirees is the most critical today.

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Several reports, including that of Bank Al Maghrib, have long sounded the alarm about the consequences that Morocco could suffer due to delays in the implementation of pension reform. The delay in finalizing the pension reform will certainly increase its cost and increase the reluctance of the social partners.

Indeed, the observations contained in the Central Bank’s report support the conclusions of the annual report of the Court of Auditors. Note that the technical deficit of the civil regime of the Moroccan Basic Fund was set at 5.12 billion dirhams in 2021, while the reserves of this fund fell to 65.84 billion dirhams, a drop of 10.7 billion dirhams compared to 2019, despite the normative reform of the civil pension system in 2016. The situation of the collective retirement system is just as worrying, with an overall deficit of 3.95 billion dirhams in 2021 , although reforms were carried out in 2016 and 2021.

According to Brahim Belghazi, vice-president of the Federation of National Associations of Retirees in Morocco (FANAREM), questioned by MAROC DIPLOMATIC, on the dysfunctions of the pension system, the answer is dry: “the fund is hemorrhaging”, he denounces. Indeed, there are a certain number of accumulated problems, notably “in terms of inappropriate investments and unsuitable investments”, while the pension system is experiencing a critical financial situation, having thus led to colossal losses for the fund. In addition, another size problem, it is a “lack of representation for retirees”. “No one talks about retirees, they are not presented and they cannot be presented either by the unions or by the CGEM”he adds.

For its part, the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS), opposition party, reminds the government that it should not “attempt to pass any provision of the law on pension reform, which would call into question their purchasing power or their financial situation after retirement”. The opposition party also called on the government of Aziz Akhannouch to submit a bill on the subject based on the provisions of the constitution and according to a truly participatory approach, specifying in this regard that “pension reform must be comprehensive and effective, and must not be to the detriment of the achievements and social rights of workers, nor to the detriment of their financial situation”.