All remaining workers at Hoarafushi Bottling Plant sacked

The government of President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, who came to power with a promise not to terminate any employees, has dismissed all the remaining permanent employees of the Hoarafushi Bottling Plant and sent them home.

Speaking to RaajjeMV, an employee who received the notice from Fenaka Corporation on Wednesday, stressed that they were at work when the notice came and that it read that they were terminated “effective immediately”.

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.

The first seven employees at the bottling plant were terminated on June 11. It has been reported that eight employees were terminated on June 25.

More than 40 employees, including project staff and permanent employees, have been terminated so far from the bottling plant project, which provided income opportunities for many families in Hoarafushi.

A former employee at the Hoarafushi Bottling Plant who spoke to RaajjeMV revealed that this mainly included employees that belonged to families who support the main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

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. The Hoarafushi Council had previously issued a statement expressing concern and condemning the ongoing termination of permanent employees at the Hoarafushi Bottling Plant.

The statement said that this project is a glass water bottling plant established under the High Impact Community Development Project of the Indian government, based on a proposal submitted by the Hoarafushi Council. It is a project implemented under a joint venture agreement between the council and Fenaka Corporation.

Condemning this in the strongest terms, the council revealed that at a time when the building is nearly complete and ready to open, and after Fenaka Corporation's MD Major (Rtd) Mohamed Najah met with the council and assured that operations would officially begin in July of this year, the president's campaign promise of not stopping projects and not terminating employees has been broken, impoverishing the people.

The Hoarafushi Council stated that the Hoarafushi Bottling Plant is a project in which the council holds a 40 percent stake. While both parties had agreed to overcome challenges and obstacles to advance the project and improve its quality for further development, the decision by Fenaka's Board of Directors to terminate the employment agreements of the plant's workers without any consultation with the council was criticized. The council called on Fenaka's MD and directors to review the decision and reinstate the employees.

It has been noted that no attention was paid to the council's call as additional plant employees were terminated on Wednesday.

The council's statement also asserted that as the decision was made in clear violation of the agreement between the two parties, they would pursue justice on the matter through the courts.

Previously, a protest was held in front of the bottling plant expressing concern over the mass termination of employees. It is also reported from the island that a small group of people, allegedly sent by Ali Moosa, MP for Hoarafushi constituency, confronted the protesters, verbally abused them, and intimidated them.

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.

Despite widespread terminations of permanent employees across the country, the Muizzu administration has continued appointing individuals to political posts. Although the government came to power with a promise of transparency and "nothing to hide," it has so far refrained from disclosing the total number of political appointees.