Parliament on Tuesday, decided to host a first of its kind consultation in a move to assess public opinion in declaring the minimum wage.
The vote to further involve the public in policymaking and implement the proposed initiative, was passed by 65 Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) MPs.
According to Parliament's Media Director Hassan Ziyau, the first consultation meeting will be held at Parliament at 1830 hrs, and will be joined by senior officials from the Ministry of Economic Development, Minimum Wage Advisory Board as well as relevant Parliamentary Committee members.
The advisory board formed by President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has advised an overall minimum wage of MVR 6,400. A sum between 6,400 to 8,600 was suggested for employees of the tourism industry.
Per a report released by the board, roughly 40 percent of the Maldivian workforce were found to earn less than MVR 6000 on a monthly basis.
The proposed figures were set following thorough research into several factors including expected costs to employers and changes in outward remittances by expatriate workers.
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) had advised Maldives to set a minimum wage between MVR 6,000 and MVR 6,500.
Addressing public concern over the minimum wage being too low, Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail, stated that forcing an unrealistic minimum wage may drive businesses to bankruptcy, leading to reductions in number of job positions.
He urged the public to accept the minimum wage decided by the state as it could be amended every two years after a review. The review could be conducted earlier in case of an economic emergency.
The parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs declared Monday that it would deliver a conclusive statement on the proposed minimum wage report before March 11
Opposition lawmakers raised concerns that the matter, which would largely impact the general public, was being rushed. Former economic minister and current Maavah MP Mohamed Saeed stressed that the committee must conduct a full review and pose any questions and doubts regarding the report to the relevant authorities.
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