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Mohamed is 73 years old. He is one of the thousands of Moroccans who have been recruited to work in the mines of northern France. It was in 1974. He relates.
“No sleep, until now I sleep two hours a day because I worked 15 years at night. “Mohamed El Ayachi is 73 years old. He is one of the thousands of men brought back from the south of Morocco to work in the mines of Nord-Pas-de-Calais.” One of the selection criteria was not to be able to speak French, because it was important not to integrate “, explains Samira El Ayachi, daughter of Mohamed El Ayachi and writer.
In the 1970s, when no one wanted to work in coal anymore and the activity was no longer profitable, it was then necessary to prepare for the reconversion and the closure of the mines and to do this work, France would call on a flexible workforce, “therefore men from the south of Morocco”.
From 1987, the Houillères declared the closure of the mining basin. Minors have two choices: return to Morocco or retrain and forgo their social benefits. They then start a strike at the end of which Mohamed will obtain a half retirement.
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