The reparations are calculated from the attack date up to the recovery of the injured people and include a life pension, Mansouri said in a speech delivered on the occasion of the labour day celebrated on May 1st.

    The terrorist attacks that rocked the city of Casablanca on 16 May 2003 killed 45 people, including 12 suicide bombers, and injured over a hundred others.

    The Minister recalled the draft decree on the revalorisation of the compensation to occupational accident and sickness victims or their assignees provides for a 20% increase to be paid retroactively as of July 2003.

    The number of labour funds recipients stood in 2005 at some 100,000 people, who were paid damage securities worth MAD 200Mn, or USD 22Mn, the Minister said.

    Talking of the labour code, Mansouri said the legislation has largely contributed to enhancing social peace, development and the modernisation of professional relations through dialog mechanisms.  

    He said several important initiatives were launched in 2005, such as the National Initiative for Human Development (INDH) and the enforcement of mandatory health insurance, adding projects in 2006 include the implementation of the provisions of the medical assistance plan, which is to benefit some 6.5 million low-income people.

    The Minister said the industrial and tourist projects in the country have drained in 2005 investment amounting to MAD 20bn, a 18.7% rise, and have created 15.443 direct and indirect jobs.

Mansouri, in an interview run by "Assahra Al Maghribya" daily, said 154 strikes were staged in 116 departments and enterprises, causing the loss of 72,745 workdays, compared to 100,301 days in 2004.

    He ascribed the decline in the number of strikes to the environment created by the accord on the labour code signed in April 30, 2003, that also helped cut down the number of lay-offs caused by enterprise closure totallinf 7,585 in 2005 compared to 7,982 in 2004. 

    The number of wage earners, who were laid off because of personnel reduction stood at 1,722 in 2005, compared to 3.214 in 2004, he went on to say.