AfricaNews reporter said it was a difficult moment for many workers who heavily rely on public transport to work.

The transportation workers were striking because many of them will lose their job. Rabat transport management will be assigned to one company called Stareo, constituted by Veolia Group, and two of old Moroccan bus operators.

Veolia Transport and its Moroccan partners, the Bouzid and Hakam groups, have been awarded a 15-year contract to operate the bus system for Rabat, Sale and Temara, when the operating company created specifically to execute the concession contract will start up operations. Veolia Transport will have a majority share in the operating company (51.04%), while the Bouzid group will hold 28.06% and the Hakam group 20.90%.

However, the other older companies which were operating before will no more exist hence hundreds of bus workers will lose their work.

Although the new company said that it will hire some of them, as well as employ and train more than 3,000 people, the majority of those workers refused to sign the contract because of the terms.

Veolia transport division operates in 28 countries and employs 83,654 people. Veolia Transport posted revenue of €6 billion in 2008. It operates 38,078 road and rail vehicles and carries more than 2.5 billion passengers per year.