Several workers in Tangiers, Morocco, were beaten as they protested the firing of union leaders at a packing factory in recent days. One worker lost four teeth and, along with one other man, required hospitalization. A video documents the aftermath of the attack, during which a worker lay bleeding on the ground.
After workers established a union affiliated with the Moroccan Labor Union (Union Maroccaine du Travail, UMT) at the industrial packaging plant in the Gaznaya free-trade zone in Tangiers, management fired the union leaders. Union leaders say they believe the men who attacked the protesters were hired by the employer. Workers say the poor working conditions at the manufacturing plant led them to form a union.
In February, five workers were fired from their jobs at a call center in Casablanca, Morocco, after they formed a union.