Moroccans protest price hikes, cost of living

Hundreds of Moroccans protested in several cities yesterday against the high cost of living after price rises of staple goods over the past few months, Anadolu reported.

Several cities, including Agadir, Casablanca, Meknes and Safi witnessed hundreds of gatherings in front of the headquarters of the Democratic Confederation of Labour Union (CDT) which called for the protests, rejecting the wave of high prices that the country is experiencing.

According to video clips posted on social media platforms, the protesters called on the authorities to raise workers’ wages, undo the increase in the prices of basic materials and fuel, and engage in dialogue with labour unions.

The protesters raised banners that read “No to high prices”.

According to the unions, “the prices of a number of consumer goods have recently recorded sharp increases, which affect citizens, especially vulnerable ones, who have been hit by the repercussions of the coronavirus pandemic.”

Last January, official data showed that the consumer price index in Morocco increased 1.4 per cent in 2021, double the increase recorded in 2020 which was 0.7 per cent.

The High Commission for Planning of Morocco, the official body in charge of statistics, attributed the rise to the increase in food prices by 0.8 per cent, and non-food items by 1.8 per cent.

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