House of Representatives Unanimously Adopts Government Bill 25.20 Enacting Special Measures in Favor of Employers and Workers Registered with National Social Security Fund and Affected by Coronavirus Impacts
The House of Representatives unanimously adopted, on Tuesday, April 21st, 2020, Government bill 25.20 enacting special measures in favor of employers and workers registered with the National Social Security Fund and affected by the impacts of Coronavirus. The adoption took place in a session chaired by Speaker of House of Representatives Habib El Malki, with the participation of Minister of Labor and Vocational Integration Mohamed Amkraz.
In his presentation of the bill, referred to the House by the House of Councilors, the Minister of Labor and Vocational Integration commended the “engagement of deputies, both of the majority and opposition, in issuing the bill and speeding up its discussion in alignment with the requirements of the ongoing exceptional situation regarding prioritizing the higher interest of the country.”
On their part, the deputies, representing parliamentary groups and caucuses, expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the wise and insightful leadership of HM King Mohammed VI, and his keenness to take precautionary measures to stop the outbreak of the Coronavirus COVID-19.
The deputies stressed the imperative of strictly implementing the bill and committing to treating both employers and workers fairly. They also noted the importance of having a spirit of solidarity and consolidating the national consensus marking this stage. Besides, the deputies called for supporting Moroccan enterprises, maintaining job positions, and taking the precautionary measures necessary to protect workers.
The Government bill aims at enacting special measures to assist employers whose activity and workers were affected by the Coronavirus outbreak. The bill establishes compensation for workers and trainees in pre-vocational internships registered with the National Social Security Fund for February 2020. The bill also considers the period between March 15th and June 30th, 2020, a temporary cessation of work for workers while they maintain the contractual relationship with their employers.
The bill also stipulates suspending the payment of contributions to the National Social Security Fund (CNSS) for the period of March 1st to June 30th, 2020 as an eligibility criterion to receive the compensation paid by the Fund, and to benefit from the services of mandatory health insurance, in favor of workers and trainees in pre-vocational internships.
Under this law, employers must return any sum received on the basis of false declaration on their part to the Fund and are subject to the sanctions provided for in the legislation in force. The Fund shall return the sums to the state budget.
It should be noted that Government bill 25.20 enacting special measures in favor of employers and workers registered with the National Social Security Fund and affected by the impacts of Coronavirus outbreak will enter into force on April 1st, 2020.