Employees of the construction company Jaah Investments (formerly JAUSA Investments Pvt Ltd) protested in Hulhumalé on Tuesday over several months of forced unpaid work.
A large number of immigrant workers protested by staging a mass sit-down in Central Park in Hulhumalé. The employees, who had been working on apartment development projects in the city, called for Jaah to pay unpaid salaries.
One of the workers told Mihaaru news that they have been forced to work without salaries for five months now. They said they were unable to send money back to their families, who were now in serious financial trouble.
"We've told them to give our passports back if they are not going to pay our salaries. We can go back and be close to our families. They don't pay us, They don't give us our passports," the foreign worker had said.
He said that while 93 employees work at the company, 54 of them have not been paid.
They have also filed a case against Jaah Investments at the Maldives Immigration and the Labour Relations Authority, stating their employer has seized their passports in violation of regulations.
The workers began raising their concerns on social media as well. They called the relevant authorities to take action as this is an act of human trafficking, which is one of the most severely punishable crimes in Maldives.
The workers protested a week ago as well. The situation was so dire for two of the workers that they laid down on the open road and attempted to self-harm. They were stopped by other migrant workers who were protesting at the scene.
The police arrived on the scene today and attempted to disperse the protest. Police were present at previous protests and intended to investigate the situation.
Mihaaru news reported that despite repeated attempts to contact Jaah Investments, they were unable to obtain a comment on the issue of forced labour with unpaid salaries.
While the company is facing allegations of unpaid labour, they have also been accused of collecting funds to develop apartments and failing to hand them over.
In 2020, a serious case of migrant workers being forced to work without pay, came to light. Workers hired to develop Bodufinolhu resort protested, and held a Maldivian man hostage on the island. After the incident, it was revealed that the workers without valid documents were hired for the job, and that they were forced to work without pay. They claimed they were not allowed to leave the island either.
Bodufinolhu workers were promised a remuneration of around MVR 4,000 -7,000. Some of the workers had not been paid for up to six months. Parliament member for Milandhoo constituency Ali Riza was accused of human trafficking as he had a stake in the company that was developing the resort.
The case was investigated by the police; however, it was later ebbed down and the government sent the workers back to their home countries.
Human rights organisations working in the Maldives continues to express concern over the serious issue of human trafficking in the country; the issue remains largely unaddressed by the relevant authorities.
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