The delay in setting a minimum wage for expatriates has drawn concern from several organizations, which argue that it leaves expatriate workers vulnerable to exploitation.
Opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa and other members have stated that the 19th Parliament did not work on setting a minimum wage for expatriate workers because it chose not to do so.
Speaking against the provision of a minimum wage for expatriates, MP Ghafoor said that the minimum wage established for Maldivians should not apply to expatriates.
The Employment Act was amended in 2020 to introduce a minimum wage, which came into effect on January 1, 2021. Initially, the law stipulated that the minimum wage for expatriates would be enforced two years later. However, the then-parliament proposed another amendment to indefinitely postpone this provision, leaving the government with the authority to decide when a minimum wage for expatriates would be established.
MDP, which held a significant majority in parliament at the time, cited the global economic situation and its potential negative impact on the Maldives as the reason for the amendment.
The new government has since proposed further amendments to the Employment Act, including increasing the fees payable by expatriates.
In response, the Maldives Trade Union Congress and the Health Union have advocated for the reintroduction of the minimum wage provision for expatriates.
"We consider it important to include expatriate workers in the minimum wage policy because their exclusion opens up the possibility of exploitation at worryingly low wages," the Trade Union stated in their comment.
During the debate in the Parliament's Committee on National Security Services (241) yesterday, MP Abdul Ghafoor Moosa, one of the most senior members of the Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), stated that there was no need to set a minimum wage for foreign workers.
"The minimum wage set for Maldivians should not be set for expatriates working here," he said.
MP Ghafoor said that expatriates are already paid salaries comparable to what they would earn in their home countries. He cited this as the reason why the 19th Parliament did not move forward with the motion to set a minimum wage for expatriates.
"The minimum wage for expatriates have not been fixed because we do not want to fix it. That is what the parliament has done," said MP Ghafoor, who also represented the Hanimaadhoo constituency in the 19th Parliament.
Maldives National Party (MNP) North Maafannu MP Mohamed Nazim and Jumhooree Party (JP) leader and Maamigili MP Qasim Ibrahim also opposed the introduction of a minimum wage for expatriate workers, with MP Qasim dismissing the idea as "useless talk by politicians."
The delay in setting a minimum wage for expatriates has drawn concern from several organizations, which argue that it leaves expatriate workers vulnerable to exploitation.
Sign In
