“Martyrs in the Struggle for a Piece of Bread”

It is with deep sadness that we, the Women’s Organization of the Agricultural Sector from FNSA, learned of the fatal road accident that occurred on the evening of Monday, May 26, 2025, in the commune of Sebt El Kerdane, Taroudant province. This accident, involving a vehicle transporting workers for the company Quality Bean Morocco, caused the deaths of four women workers and injured several others.

Once again, we observe that such accidents, which repeatedly and tragically affect agricultural workers on their way to work, expose the precarious situation of this category of women workers. They lack the minimum conditions for a decent life and dignified work and suffer all forms of oppression, exploitation, discrimination, and violence, as well as a lack of health and safety conditions at work.

Meanwhile, responsible authorities continue to ignore the demands of these workers for decent working conditions that preserve their dignity and safety, unfairly and fully exploiting their labor power and lives.

• We, the Women’s Organization of the Agricultural Sector, affiliated with the National Federation of the Agricultural Sector / Moroccan Labor Union, extend our sincere condolences and deep sympathy to the families of the women agricultural workers who are victims and martyrs in the struggle for a piece of bread, and wish a speedy recovery to the injured. We express the following positions:
• We hold employers, public authorities, and the Ministries of Transport, Labor, and Agriculture fully responsible for the persistence of these fatal accidents among women agricultural workers, caused by the poor state of transportation means in agricultural operations.
• We call for a swift investigation to determine responsibilities and apply sanctions to those accountable for these accidents, and to ensure enforcement of health and safety conditions inside and outside production units, as well as labor law compliance.
• We condemn agricultural companies that do not ensure decent working conditions and contribute to worsening the precarious situation of women agricultural workers by profiting from exploiting their labor and living conditions, increasing their profits while perpetuating poverty and insecurity within this vulnerable group.
• We reiterate our strong condemnation of the authorities’ disregard for the lives of women agricultural workers, whose rights are violated, and hold them accountable for any consequences resulting from continued neglect of the legitimate demands of this group.
• We firmly condemn all forms of injustice and exploitation endured by women workers who are victims of ruthless bourgeois exploitation in the agricultural sector, and demand an end to the violation of their rights.
• We demand a ban on the use of inhumane transportation means and call for the provision of necessary and humane conditions, including health and safety, for transporting workers to and from workplaces.
• We call for the preservation of the dignity of women agricultural workers to guarantee their social and economic stability, as well as their safety and life.

Finally, while denouncing this regrettable and tragic situation that repeats itself in the work environment of women agricultural workers, and while demanding that responsible authorities act to reform this situation to guarantee their dignity, safety, and enforcement of labor laws, we salute the courage of women agricultural workers who defy all difficulties to support themselves and their families.

FNSA Executive Bureau, Rabat, May 26, 2025