Road professionals do not hide their frustration with the exceptional aid granted to them by the government. While they were demanding an increase in the amounts of this aid, they learned from a press release from the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of the launch of a fifth direct aid operation for professionals, the amounts of which correspond to those initially fixed.
The road transport sector is still living to the rhythm of demands addressed to the government to mitigate the impact of soaring fuel prices on the activities of transporters. Indeed, in a press release made public a few days ago, the national coordination bringing together the road freight transport unions affiliated to the Democratic Confederation of Labor (CDT), the General Union of Moroccan Workers (UGTM) and the National Union of Labor in Morocco (UNTM), called on the government to open the “Mouakaba” platform to professionals so that they can register to benefit from a fifth installment of the exceptional aid granted to them and to upgrade, given that fuel prices remain very high.
However, and after deciding to increase by 40% the amount of direct financial aid allocated to road professionals as part of the fourth wave of this aid, the Executive announced through the supervisory department the launch of a fifth aid operation, but with amounts equivalent to those fixed at the start.
As a reminder, the government decided at the end of March to grant a subsidy of 2,200 dirhams for large taxis, 1,600 dirhams for small taxis, 1,800 dirhams for mixed transport vehicles in rural areas, 7,000 dirhams for coaches intercity, 6,200 dirhams for buses, 2,800 dirhams for first-series coaches, 1,400 dirhams for second-series minibuses and 1,000 dirhams for third-series vehicles (TGR/TLS), 1,000 dirhams for breakdown vehicles, 2,600 dirhams for trucks whose PTAC (total authorized weight) is greater than 3.5 tons and less than 14 tons, 3,400 dirhams for trucks whose PTAC is between 14 and 19 tons, 4,200 dirhams for trucks whose PTAC exceeds 19 tons, 6,000 dirhams for road tractors and 1,200 dirhams for staff and school transport (the latter is not affected by this new operation due to the shutdown of schooling during the summer holidays, specifies the press release from the Ministry of Transport and Logistics). However, and as professionals have pointed out, the amount of this aid was set at a time when the price of diesel was around 12 dirhams per litre. The latter have therefore constantly insisted that the amount of this aid be increased since its introduction, given that the price of diesel has continued to rise.
In this respect, the general secretary of the National Union of Road Transport of Goods (affiliated to the UNTM), indicated in a declaration to the “Matin” that the professionals were very surprised to learn that the government has decided to return to the amounts initially planned for aid, when they were asking for an increase. Mustapha El Karkouri also pointed out that road hauliers have always advocated for real solutions, such as capping fuel prices and reducing profit margins for distributors, which, if not considered illegal, are at least outrageous. The trade unionist also recalled that the national coordination bringing together the three unions reiterates its call for the opening of an investigation into the existence of a quasi-monopolistic structure in the hydrocarbons sector.
The secretary general of the Democratic Organization of Transport and Multimodal Logistics (ODTL), Mustapha Chaoune, for his part declared to the “Matin” that this fifth wave of financial aid was expected by road professionals, given fuel prices which remain very high and are not about to return to their pre-war level in Ukraine. However, continues Mr. Chaoune, “it appears from the press release from the Ministry of Transport and Logistics that the government has backtracked on the 40% increase which had been decided during the fourth wave”. This, adds the trade unionist, is in addition to the fact that several problems linked to this aid have not been resolved, including that concerning the number of vehicles which have benefited from this aid, namely 134,000 out of the 180,000 targeted, such as the indicated the Minister Delegate to the Head of Government in charge of Relations with Parliament, government spokesperson, Mustapha Baïtas. “There is reason to wonder about the situation of professionals who have never benefited from this aid since its launch”, observes Mr. Chaoune. And to underline: “we, within the ODTL, welcome this new decision taken by the government to maintain this exceptional aid for the fifth time, but we ask the departments concerned to quickly take up the complaints of the very many professionals who are still waiting to benefit from this aid for the first time since its announcement on March 23.
