More than 17,000 people turned out for PAM in Dakhla on Saturday, with “Sir Sir” chants greeting Fouzi Lekjaa as he took the stage.
The chant, familiar from Atlas Lions matches, rang out from the stands as the budget minister appeared before the crowd. Traditional Sahrawi dress was prominent among those attending.
Dakhla followed PAM meetings in Fez, Sefrou and Berkane as the party continues its run of gatherings ahead of the September 23 elections.
Lekjaa used the meeting to back a MAD5,000 minimum wage. “We all agree on raising the minimum wage to MAD5,000,” he said.
The RNI had made the same pledge a day earlier in Jorf El Melha, proposing to raise the minimum from its current MAD3,400.
Lekjaa questioned why the measure should remain a promise.
He also asked what had become of previous commitments and raised the MAD130 billion approved by the outgoing government to reduce social and territorial disparities.
The minimum-wage demand is not new.
UMT secretary-general Miloudi Moukharik called for a MAD5,000 minimum wage in 2023, when it stood at MAD3,111 a month. The union has more recently called for a net minimum of between MAD4,500 and MAD5,000, citing the cost of living.
The proposed increase has also raised concerns over higher wage bills and pressure on margins, particularly among small and medium-sized businesses.
