MDP files cases of 37 dismissed SOE employees at Employment Tribunal

The cases of 37 employees dismissed from state-owned companies have been filed with the Employment Tribunal with legal assistance from the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP).

On April 18, the Finance Ministry ordered all state-owned enterprises (SOEs) to reduce their workforce by 33 percent as part of a nationwide cost-cutting effort. The Privatization and Corporatization Board (PCB) followed up with a circular on the 18th of this month, instructing companies to complete the downsizing within three months.

At an MDP press conference on Tuesday, former party chairman and current head of the “Bodu Badhalu” office, Hassan Latheef, said the party is providing legal support to employees who believe they were unfairly dismissed. He said the MDP Legal Committee is working to protect the rights of affected workers.

Hassan said the party is currently reviewing the cases of 65 dismissed employees, of which 37 have already been filed with the Tribunal.

He added that lawyers outside the party have also volunteered to assist. “The party has set up a helpline, 7341637. This number is available 24 hours a day. You can call or text anytime,” Hassan said.

Hassan criticised the PCB’s directive, saying the board should have first assessed and informed each company of the number of employees actually required before ordering a blanket 33 percent reduction.

Speaking at the same press conference, former Economic Minister Fayyaz Ismail reiterated that the government’s downsizing order would result in more than 14,000 job cuts, affecting over 50,000 people. He said 14,733 employees would need to be removed to meet the 33 percent target.