Rights of workers will be protected in the battle against Covid-19: President

Will ensure the rights of every worker in the Maldives are protected in the battle against Covid-19 pandemic, says President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih.

Taking to Twitter in commemoration of the World Labor Day which falls on May 1, the president noted that the pandemic has brought “great upheaval” to the globe’s economy and challenged the rights of workers everywhere.

He gave workers in the island nation assurance that he stands in solidarity with them and is driven by the determination to combat the pandemic “while ensuring and protecting” the rights of every worker.

This comes at a time the pandemic has been striking the country’s economy severely, causing businesses nationwide to suffer. However, the president earlier assured civil servants that their salaries will not be reduced.

Due to the repercussions of the pandemic, businesses nationwide have been terminating their employees or slashing their salaries and putting them on no-pay leave which was followed by public outcry. This led the Ministry of Economic Development to urge individuals with employment issues to reach out to the job portal for assistance.

About 11,000 resort employees have been terminated or put on no-pay leave thus far, revealed the Tourism Employees Association of Maldives.