Economic minister Mohamed Saeed Saturday admitted to mounting complaints over unpaid wages for both local and expatriate workers in the Maldives.
Speaking during a ceremony to launch the human rights framework on Saturday, Saeed said the primary complaints filed by the over 120,000 expat population were of unpaid wages and remuneration.
Highlighting the recent trend of locals voicing the same complaint, the minister stressed that unpaid labour proves a major hindrance to economic progress in the archipelago.
"Ramadan allowance, or disbursing service charge, or withholding wages for expats for more than a year. What about their rights? How can we build a healthy economy if we can't protect workers rights? How can we solve our social issues without a healthy economy?," Saeed asked.
Minister also pointed out the rising complaints over forcing expats to pay huge fees to come to the Maldives.
Saeed insisted that the country must protect labour rights before it can reap the benefits of the ongoing economic revolution spearheaded by president Abdulla Yameen Abdul gayoom.
