Morocco

Advocacy by Moroccan Trade Unions for a Just Transition

Region

Africa

Country

Morocco

Originator/Owner

Workers organizations

Coordinating/Lead actor

Collective advocacy of Moroccan trade unions : Union Marocaine du Travail (UMT), Union Générale des Travailleurs du Maroc (UGTM) et Confédération Démocratique du Travail (CDT)

Policy type

Position papers by social partners

Policy areas

Macroeconomic and growth policies, Occupational safety and health, Rights, Skills development, Social dialogue and tripartism, Social protection

Environmental focus

Climate change

Target groups

Other, Women, Workers, Youth

Sectoral focus

Agriculture, Energy, Forestry and Land use, Other

Crosscutting themes

Employment/job creation, Green economy, Informal economy

Date of Adoption

October 2025

Timeframe

October 2025

Oct 2025

Publication of the position paper

Plaidoyer des syndicats marocains

French, PDF

UMT, UGTM, CDT demand that a just transition in Morocco moves from aspiration to obligation. Their position rests on three interlocking arguments:

First, just transition must be legally binding, not voluntary. Union principles must be embedded in all social dialogue processes, public policies and development strategies through a binding legal framework that delivers measurable social outcomes, decent, unionisable green jobs, protected labour rights, and inclusion of marginalised groups. Symbolic commitments are explicitly rejected.

Second, governance must be restructured around tripartite power. Unions demand a strengthened tripartite social dialogue framework with binding authority over climate policy, not consultative status. Trade unions must be institutionalised within NDC 3.0 design and all climate decision-making bodies, on the grounds that worker participation is a prerequisite for a transition that is socially acceptable and politically durable.

Third, the transition must be investment-led. Large-scale public investment in training, skills development and professional reconversion in green sectors is non-negotiable, alongside strict government enforcement against resource degradation, sand extraction, deforestation, that undermines both climate adaptation and workers' livelihoods.

Underlying all three demands is a fundamental reframing: just transition is not a dimension of Morocco's economic model, it must become the model itself.

Key insights

This pledge covers multiple just transition policy areas, calling out for integrated tripartite mechanisms

A just transition embedded in NDCs must go beyond emissions targets to address the rights, protection, and agency of workers throughout the transition

Freedom of association and collective bargaining are treated as non-negotiable foundations. Workers must retain the right to organize and to negotiate wages, benefits, and working conditions collectively, ensuring that climate transition policies cannot be used to weaken labour rights under the guise of economic transformation.

Social dialogue is positioned as both a process requirement and an equity mechanism. Meaningful negotiation, consultation, and information-sharing between employers, workers, and governments on economic and workplace issues is not optional, it is what makes transition policies legitimate and durable.

Social protection must be explicitly guaranteed, covering unemployment benefits, healthcare, and pensions. Without these safety nets, the economic risks of transition fall disproportionately on the most vulnerable workers, undermining the "just" dimension of the transition entirely.

Decent work, formal, quality employment that upholds dignity, equality, and occupational health and safety, is the ultimate benchmark against which just transition outcomes should be measured. Green jobs that replicate precarious or unsafe conditions are not a just outcome. Skills development and lifelong learning are essential enablers. Workers in transitioning sectors need access to retraining and upskilling opportunities so they can participate in, rather than be displaced by, the emerging low-carbon economy. The trade unions are also calling for a national training-of-trainers to embed just transition systematically with dedicated toolkits.

Government accountability for process, not just outcomes, is another distinctive trade union contribution to the NDC debate. Governments must report not only on what was achieved, but on how, specifically, whether social dialogue was integrated into just transition implementation.

Expected Outcomes

With this document, trade unions reaffirm that their involvement must be strengthened, systematic, and binding, particularly in setting priorities, validating social measures, and ensuring full respect for workers’ rights in the design, negotiation and implementation of green strategies

Trade union participation is not an option, but a prerequisite for a successful, just and sustainable transition

Plaidoyer des syndicats marocains, pg. 101

Implementation

UMT, UGTM, CDT engagement in consultation and social dialogue processes related to the implementation of Morocco’s NDC 3.0

13 Jun 2025

National consultation workshop on the integration of Gender and Just Transition dimensions into the NDC 3.0 | Meeting with the main trade unions, the Inter-Ministerial Consultation Network for Gender Equality, and representatives of civil society to validate the principles of a just transition and jointly develop the fundamental pillars of the Gender Action Plan.

23 Apr 2026 - 24 Apr 2026

Tripartite Stakeholder Engagement Workshop - Implementation of Morocco’s NDC 3.0: Just Transition, Decent Work and Social Dialogue | The workshop brought together government, workers’ and employers’ representatives to identify how Morocco’s NDC 3.0 can operationalize just transition through decent work, social dialogue and employment-sensitive implementation.

Other stakeholders

This represents an example of collective advocacy by Moroccan trade unions UMT, UGTM, CDT