Will reinstate 15 percent reduced from civil servant salaries: former president Nasheed

Former president and Maldivian Democratic Party’s (MDP) presidential candidate Mohamed Nasheed has said that he will reinstate the 15 percent of the salary for civil servants, that was reduced during the MDP government.

Speaking at Usfasgandu last night, Nasheed said that the government had reduced the civil servant salaries in 2010 by 15 percent with an intention of reinstating it at a later date.

“In 2010 we promised that the 15 percent deducted from the civil service employees will be given back in 2013. That it will be given back to the civil servants. I regret that the money has not been given back. I would like to assure the employees that an MDP government will give back the reduced 15 percent,” former president Nasheed said.

He said that the economic slump in 2009 was solved by the civil servants as the government was able to reduce the budget deficit from 30 percent to 9 percent by reducing the 15 percent from civil servant salaries.

Speaking on worker’s rights, the former president said that the first step to developing a business is to ensure the rights of the workers and that this would require establishing a minimum wage. He said a MDP government will set the minimum wage at MVR 4500.

Nasheed also said that the civil servants have a continuing grievance that their overtime rates are too low and that a MDP government will mediate the pay commission to solve the issue.