Minister faces criticism from resort workers for comments regarding service charge
One resort worker asked the minister to spend a month in a room boy's shoes before commenting
Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed
Minister of Tourism Ali Waheed is facing criticism from resort workers for claiming that resorts in the Maldives pay their local employees an adequate service charge.
In response to a reporter at a press conference on Wednesday, the minister stated that resorts treat their employees well and highlighted that especially when it comes to providing a proper service charge.
Following his comments, many locals employed in the tourism industry expressed their discontent via social media.
A resort worker responding to the minister's comments via twitter asked the minister to spend a month in the shoes of a room boy and then decide if the service charge is adequate.
MP for North Kulhudhuffushi, Yasir Abdul Latheef, also tweeted regarding the topic stating that while he appreciates the work the minister is doing and recognises that some resorts do pay a sufficient amount for service charge, the minister should assess the conditions of Hondaafushi island of Haa Dhaal which is the only resort in the atoll.
He stated that Maldivian staff at the resort received only USD 63 as service charge and that food provided to the staff is very "poor".
Some criticised the minister claiming that the ministry must not be aware of the actual amount provided as a service charge or have any real knowledge about the tourism sector. Further, they state that the main issue with the service charge is the fact that it does not compensate for the amount of work the workers actually do.
As such, the minister has responded by expressing his disappointment at the media claiming that his words were twisted and the public has been misled.
The Ministry of Tourism has since released a press statement, claiming that the minister did not actually state whether service charge for local was adequate or not but that the parity between locals and expatriates for service charge was good. Further, it declared that the minister was referring to "key" local investors and not all investors.
Complaints of inadequate service charge from resorts owned by Maldivians have been rampant for a long period of time. Additionally, complaints regarding pay discrimination between locals and expatriates are also reported. No proper solution for these issues has been reached yet.
