President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the bill of amendments to the Employment Act to levy a fine of MVR 50,000 against employers who are negligent towards expatriate workers.
President Dr Mohamed Muizzu has ratified the bill of amendments to the Employment Act to levy a fine of MVR 50,000 against employers who are negligent towards expatriate workers.
This eighth amendment to the Employment Act was passed by the Parliament on August 19.
As per the amendment, negligence towards expatriate workers would result in being fined MVR 50,000 per person.
In addition to fining companies that fail to pay due wages, the bill also grants the Cabinet the authority to determine the maximum number of expatriate workers that can be brought from a specific country.
The Employment Act previously said that the maximum number of expatriate workers that can be brought from a single country is 100,000. If the number of workers originating from a specific country exceeds this number, some would have to be repatriated until the numbers fall within this limit.
As per the amendment, the number of workers and their fields will be determined through a regulation that will be compiled under the Employment Act.
It further says that categories will be determined specifying expatriate numbers, skill levels, industries, areas of work and other details.
Requirements from employers are also defined in the amendment. These include;
- Registering work sites where an expatriate will be working
- Seeking other necessary permits
- Applying for quota to bring in an expatriate worker
- Obtaining work permits
The amendment goes on to detail actions that will be taken against employers who are negligent towards expatriate workers they bring in.
With the President ratifying this bill, the regulations falling under it must be compiled and published on the government gazette within a period of three months from the date of ratification.
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