The case of the cleaning staff at Houcine Bouzaiene Hospital reflects the precarious working conditions within public institutions following the ban on subcontracting.

A total of 25 workers were compelled to engage in protest action in December 2025 by wearing red armbands, after not receiving their wages despite having worked continuously for nine months, in addition to not being formally regularized in their positions.

On February 11, 2026, the workers staged a protest in front of the Regional Health Directorate, denouncing the continued non-payment of their wages. This unjustified delay constitutes a clear violation of their rights. The workers reported that, following a visit by the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Health, they were informed that their files had been “put aside,” a statement reflecting institutional disregard for their professional and social rights.

Moreover, the failure to honor previous commitments regarding their regularization and the payment of their wages in January further deepened their social and psychological instability. The workers operate in harsh conditions without social protection or legal guarantees and are deprived of even the most basic labor rights. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that they belong to vulnerable, low-income groups, many of whom bear additional family responsibilities (such as single mothers, mothers of children with disabilities, or individuals suffering from chronic illnesses). As such, the denial of their wages goes beyond an administrative failure and constitutes a direct violation of their fundamental rights to human dignity, a decent standard of living, and social security.

On February 28, 2026, the workers organized another protest in front of the hospital administration as part of their ongoing mobilization to demand payment of their wages and the regularization of their employment status. In response, the hospital administration appointed a bailiff to document their absence from work on that day, despite the protest being peaceful and publicly declared. At a later stage, the workers were informed of the Ministry’s intention to open applications for a recruitment competition with conditions that most of them do not meet. This move was perceived as an attempt to circumvent their legitimate demands and to disregard their status as workers who had already been effectively employed for an extended period without legal regularization of their contracts.