The Moroccan Labour Code is Law 65-99, passed on 11 September 2003 and in force since June 2004. It unifies the rules governing private-sector individual and collective labour relations, replacing a patchwork of earlier texts, some of them dating from the French protectorate.
Scope
The Code applies to anyone bound by an employment contract, regardless of the mode of performance, the nature of pay or the way it is paid. It covers the private sector — including home workers and, under conditions, staff of public industrial and commercial establishments. Civil servants, military personnel, judges and local-government agents fall under separate statutes.
Key components
- Employment contracts — open-ended (CDI), fixed-term (CDD, limited cases), temporary-work assignments, probation, termination, severance pay.
- Working time — 44-hour week, 2,288 hours per year, premium-rated overtime.
- Statutory minimum wage — the SMIG for industry and services and the SMAG for agriculture.
- Leave — annual paid leave (1.5 days per worked month), public holidays, family-event leave.
- Occupational health and safety — general and size-based obligations.
- Staff representation — staff delegates, works council, health-and-safety committee.
- Union freedoms and collective agreements.
- Dispute resolution — conciliation, arbitration and social-division courts.
Recent developments
Since 2004 the Code has been complemented by implementation decrees, targeted amendments (notably for micro-enterprise contracts), and gradual alignment with ILO conventions ratified by Morocco. Structural reforms remain an ongoing topic in tripartite social dialogue.
Official sources
- Secrétariat général du gouvernement portal: sgg.gov.ma for the consolidated text.
- Ministry of Employment: travail.gov.ma for implementation circulars and guidance.
References
- French Wikipedia article: Droit du travail au Maroc