Upon returning from the May 8 holiday, around sixty employees of the telemarketing company Paul & José found their Casablanca office on Anfa Boulevard closed and locked, without any prior warning or explanation. Founded in 2010 by a French entrepreneur, the company abruptly disappeared, leaving its staff suddenly unemployed, according to an investigation by the newspaper Le Monde. Initial findings reported by the French media reveal that the company quietly changed ownership two months before shutting down. In March, founder Stéphane Koubi sold his shares for a modest 78,000 dirhams to another French national, Régis Etari, who was unknown in the industry. Since then, Etari has been unreachable and has never contacted the employees. The Moroccan Workers' Union (UMT) questions Etari's legitimacy, suspecting him of being a «puppet buyer». For the affected workers, the blow is both financial and emotional. Many had dedicated years to the company, which for some was their sole source of income. One pregnant employee at the time of the closure was even denied maternity leave benefits. Supporting the former employees, the UMT suspects a case of «social fraud» designed to evade severance payments. They highlight the unusual inclusion of a non-liability clause in the transfer deed, rarely seen in such transactions. Twenty-four former employees have filed a complaint against both Frenchmen for fraud and wrongful dismissal. Stéphane Koubi, who runs other businesses in France, defends himself by citing economic difficulties. «The figures were becoming less favorable», he explains, adding that «in 2024, the net result was just 35,000 dirhams». The UMT calls this a «disguised social breakdown», raising particular concern as Paul & José also employs about a hundred people in Dakar, Senegal, where a similar fate appears imminent. Deputy Guy Marius Sagna has written to the Senegalese Minister of Employment, urging him to «take all necessary measures to prevent this».
