DRP intervention postpones TEAM’s protest – Shareef

30 September 2008

Representatives of TEAM

MALE, Maldives – Member of ruling Dhivehi Rayyithunge Party (DRP) parliamentary group Mohamed “Mavota” Shareef has said today that the 5th October protest planned by the Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM) has been postponed as a direct result of DRP intervention.

Shareef, speaking at a press conference held at the Maumoon 2008 Media Office, also expressed his disapproval of the opposition’s aggravation of the situation by calling for civil disobedience instead of negotiation.

Shareef, who is also the Chair of the Research and Drafting Committee of the Parliament, accused the opposition of propagating misinformation about the Government’s sincerity in delivering the rights of tourism employees.

When President and DRP Presidential candidate Maumoon Abdul Gayoom initially sent the draft Employment Bill to parliament, there was no clause which excluded tourism employees from the rights outlined in the bill. The exclusionary clause was added after the bill was reviewed by a parliamentary committee.

The Employment Act 2008 has received criticism from various sources for not protecting the rights of tourism employees who work in the most lucrative sector of the Maldivian economy.

Jumhooree Party (JP) Deputy Leaders and MPs for Gaafu Dhaalu and Dhaalu atolls respectively, Abdullah “Lolly” Jabir and Ahmed “ADK” Nasheed are both resort owners. JP Presidential candidate and billionaire resort owner Gasim “Burumaa” Ibrahim was, until very recently, the chairman of the Villa group of companies - the largest employer in the tourism industry.

Shareef also noted with disappointment that travel advisory alerts had been issued for the Maldives in some countries to warn holidaymakers of the planned protest. He added that such events will have an adverse effect on Maldives’ tourism industry on which the economy is largely dependent.

DRP Intervention

Shareef told the press that the DRP has intervened to prevent the protest by entering into negotiations with parliamentary National Development Committee and the Maldives Association of Tourism Industry (MATI) on behalf of TEAM.

DRP efforts have led to tabling of draft amendments to the Employment Act before 6 October 2008.
Speaking on behalf of the DRP parliamentary group, which consists of 27 MPs in total, Shareef said that the DRP will ensure that amendments to the Employment Act will be passed so that tourism workers are afforded equal protection under the law. In addition, Shareef said that he held suspicions that TEAM might have been influenced by the political machinations of opposition parties however he condemned the oversight which deprived tourism workers of their legal rights and said that the DRP was dedicated to their cause.

The DRP has proposed a host of amendments to the existing laws that govern employer-employee relations for tourism workers in the country. Among them are the imposition of a 10 hour work day with a maximum of 2 extra hours which should be considered and remunerated as overtime. The DRP is also lobbying for a reduction in workloads and wage increases.

In conclusion, Shareef said that competition between political parties should not be allowed to affect te country’s vulnerable economy.