Fishermen protesting at the Addu Fisheries Complex have vowed to continue protesting despite threats from the government, saying that the protesters are seeking payments owed from the government.
Fishers have now been protesting with 17 boats at the Addu Fisheries Complex for five days as of Monday.
Speaking to Adhadhu, Mohamed Shameez, the bait captain of Maradhoo's Rahaa boat who is leading the Addu fishermen's protest, said the protest will not end until the government clears the outstanding payments in line with their demand.
After the fishermen brought operations at the Addu Fisheries Complex to a halt, the Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) warned on Sunday that fish purchases will be suspended for three months from boats that obstruct police duties and the efforts of factory workers to resume operations.
"They made a threat like ones that very autocratic leaders made in the past. Fishermen won't back down in the face of threats from the government. This is something we're doing to get payments for our halal work. The government has done a lot of things to intimidate us. We will only stop this after holding the government accountable and getting the money that's owed," Shameez said.
Referring to the government's pledge to settle payments within 48 hours after weighing fish catch, Shameez said that 48 hours have now turned into 48 days. Fishers have not been paid since the fish purchasing price was lowered from the MVR 25 per kilo rate set by the previous government to MVR 20 per kilo under the current government, he said.
The current government cited MIFCO's inability to make payments at the higher rate as the reason for reducing the purchasing price.
Moreover, the failure of any government official to properly respond or communicate with the protesting fishermen so far was very irresponsible, Shameez said.
"Fisheries is the second-largest business done by the government. There has to be rules, principles and order in this. Fishermen don't have any confidence in getting paid after selling fish. The biggest demand is for there to be some kind of orderly process. The fisherman needs to know when he will get paid," Shameez said.
The fishermen vowed to continue protesting indefinitely until the payments are made.
In a statement released yesterday, MIFCO accused the protesting fishermen of entering prohibited areas such as the powerhouse, cold storage facility and employee living quarters inside the complex, disrupting operations and infringing on the basic rights of employees.
Protesters also damaged the staff canteen and blocked attempts to restore electricity to the accommodation block, affecting the basic needs of employees such as food and shelter, MIFCO said.
On Sunday afternoon, MIFCO tried to restore electricity to the office and accommodation buildings with the help of police officers. According to the police, officers needed to use force in the process due to the conduct of protesters.
"Since electricity was restored with police as the intermediary, electricity has been cut off again due to the actions of the gathered people. As such, efforts are underway to restore electricity again," police said yesterday.
The state-owned fisheries company has said that it lacks the necessary funds at present to clear the outstanding payments owed to fishers.
On June 2, fishers also protested in Male' against non-payment and longline fisheries. The crew of about 25 boats gathered in Male' and only called off the protest after the government agreed to some of their demands.
