The Tourism Employees Association of Maldives (TEAM) has announced its support for President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih in the September 9 presidential election.
In a statement, TEAM said the government has done exemplary work to protect the rights of resort workers during the past five years.
The statement also listed several things done by the government for the tourism industry workers and mentioned his new pledges for the sector.
Achieved in the past five years
- Strengthening relations with the International Labor Organization (ILO) and international organizations
- Setting the minimum wage with workers' participation and consultation and hiking the salaries of resort employees
- Amended law to make a 10 percent service charge compulsory and strengthen the monitoring system
- Amended law and formulated rules to prevent arbitrary dismissal
- Change of annual holiday as requested by resort employees
- Changed law to allow workers to leave the resort without any permission during their free time
- Introduction of the Occupational Safety and Health Bill to Parliament
- Submission of major changes to the Industrial Relations Bill in consultation with TEAM
Pledges for a second term
- Special housing for tourism workers
- Connect resorts with modern high-speed RTL ferries so that workers can reach their families easily
- At least 50 percent of senior positions in resorts should be filled by Maldivians
- Special educational programs for resort employees
- Establishment of an internationally renowned hospitality school campus
- 500 leadership scholarship opportunities for tourism workers
"We have decided to support President Solih in the upcoming presidential election as he has formulated important policies, especially for tourism workers to be implemented in his second term," the statement read.
In 2021, the beginning of the academic year was changed to August to coincide with the low season for the tourism industry in order to allow resort workers to spend the holidays with their children. The academic calendar was changed after extensive consultations.
But the opposition candidate Dr. Mohamed Muizzu said he would reverse the change brought by the current government and arrange for the academic year to begin in January starting in 2025. The present mid-year holiday was burdensome to students and parents, he said.
TEAM objected to Muizzu's pledge to reverse the change.
"The change made to the school annual holidays is an important change that offers social and economic benefits and was brought about, especially at the urging of a large majority of tourism workers," TEAM said.
Muizzu later assured resort workers that he would address their concerns.
