According to Human Rights Commission, work stoppages caused by protesting workers has become a concern for foreign investors in Maldives.
The Maldivian worker now has the right to protest, in the form of work stoppages and strikes if negotiations with managements fail to bring an acceptable outcome through concessions and compromise. Both employers and employees are guided by contractual rights.
As Maldivian employers are learning, workers strikes cause lot of damage and financial losses. When a dispute arises, workers tend to show solidarity with other workers. Employers need to show some goodwill towards workers and demonstrate that they can be trusted to take care of the workers.
Maldivian government, the biggest employer in Maldives and private sector bosses will have to learn that any process of negotiated settlement with workers involves giving and taking on both sides. Political leaders, business leaders and labour leaders will have to recognize the damage and losses caused by industrial unrest. In a culture of negotiating, workers will have to learn how to seek consensus while pursuing their demands. No agreement is possible without compromise from both sides. Managing conflict and allowing for peaceful resolution of disputes is vital if companies and the country is to grow and prosper where both the employer and employees can benefit.
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The recent intimidation of protesting staff by employer @ Velidhu island is a case in point. Not only has the employer (it seems) any interest in give and take but has openly hired thugs from Male' to frighten and intimidate the protesting staff. This is how bad the situation is. Every other day we hear in local media about killings and stabbings on Male and we are debating the issue of gangs in Majlis and here we see big businesses hiring these very criminal gangs to press upon their points. As long as they receive large sums of money from resorts or such big businesses gang warfare will not stop and our country will be unsafer than ever. As for the workers, there is great need to show solidarity with each other and press upon the point that too many injustices has been done to staff for too long.
Peace.
maldivesresortworkers. Thanks for your comment.
I agree that workers in Maldives have suffered injustices for far too long.
Although Maldivian government has signed and ratified many international treaties and agreements in the past, it was only in May 2009 that Maldives became the 183rd member of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), the UN agency that deals with work related issues such as fundamental workers' rights.
We still do not have strong trade unions who can do collective negotiations on behalf of workers. Although we now have a labour tribunal, we are still in the early stages of tripartite labour governance involving the workers, employers and the government. Even while our country is setting up the legal framework of ILO traditions and new tripartite institutions, employers should be reasonable to meet legitimate workers' demands. Strikes should be a last resort and employers should engage in open and transparent consultation to reach acceptable settlement to both sides.
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