Non-payment of wages not a license for illegal foreign workers: MACI VP

Vice President of Maldives Association of Construction Industry (MACI), Adnan Haleem has said that non-payment of wages is not a reason to allow foreigners to work illegally in the Maldives.

Adnan said that foreigners who are not receiving wages should file complaints to the relevant authorities, and stressed that non-payment of wages is not the reason why some foreign workers are hiding and working illegally in the country.

Adnan informed that every foreign worker who arrives in Maldives travels on a return ticket, and is also required to deposit money. Thus if the contract is breached by his employer, the labourer is not forced to resort to other forms of work.

He noted that there are no rules governing employment of foreign workers, and said that sufficient foreign workers are employed in the sectors that require them, and that the excess of foreign workers in Maldives is due to fraud in the process of giving quota.

“Our investigations have revealed that some people present documents for construction of the same building twice or three times, to obtain approval to bring in foreign labour,” he said.

Adnan said that some people allow foreigners to come in with the purpose of hiding them, which is a lucrative business for those involved.

“It is a serious problem that quota is given unlawfully by government authorities,” he said.

Police and Immigration department are working together to address the problem of illegal foreign workers.