Mass layoffs at Hoarafushi Bottling Plant spark employee protest

A significant number of workers at the bottling plant under development in Hoarafushi island of Haa Alif atoll have announced plans to stage a peaceful protest following the sudden termination of their employment.

The protest, named “Nikamethi Nukurey” which loosely translated means “Don’t Oppress”, is to be staged on Thursday evening.

The protest is being held in front of the Fenaka Hoarafushi branch and they have requested as many people as possible to participate in this activity.

The employees say that many families are facing hardship due to the sudden termination of jobs while things are being done unjustly.

A terminated employee has stated that if the people do not speak out against such oppression, the cruelty of this government will reach extreme levels in government will reach extreme levels in the future.

On June 9, Fenaka sent termination letters to seven permanent employees.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, an employee who was terminated on Wednesday, said that this was the “big gift” the president gave the island community after returning from the noble piligrimage of Hajj.

Under the Indian government's High Impact Community Development Project, a project to bottle water in glass bottles was initiated, and 95 percent of the project had been completed when the government changed.

RaajjeMV understands that, during a recent visit to Hoarafushi island in Haa Alif Atoll, Fenaka Corporation’s Managing Director, Mohamed Najah, met with employees of the bottling plant and assured them that the government and the company were working collaboratively to bring the facility into operation by the end of June.

Despite the Managing Director’s assurance, no additional progress has been made on the project in the one and a half years since the current administration took office.

Another employee who was terminated, said that they were told by the MD that no employee would be terminated and that he was “not” a political person.

On Monday, Fenaka sent termination letters to seven permanent employees.

The letter sent to the employees read that “as the company has decided to halt the work of the Hoarafushi Bottling Plant, the Board of Directors of the company has decided to terminate the employment agreements of the employees working there”.

The employee who spoke to RaajjeMV revealed that this mainly included employees that belonged to families who support the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

While letters were handed to employees on Wednesday stating that the bottling plant work was being halted abruptly, 11 entirely new employees had been hired for the plant job just before the recent parliamentary elections.

When the government said they were halting the work of the bottling plant, which was started with 40 percent ownership by the Hoarafushi Council, they had not even informed the council.

Among the promises made by President Muizzu when coming to power were that he would not stop any ongoing projects and that he would not terminate anyone from employment except those in political positions.

While many people describe President Muizzu's government as one with a culture of lying, deception, and misleading, a person who spoke from Hoarafushi said this is also a low-grade incident that happened in that manner.

This is the first project that the government has decided to halt among the High Impact Community Development Projects being carried out across multiple islands with Indian government’s assistance.