Fenaka to set staff based on island population size

Fenaka Corporation'.

The number of staff at Fenaka Corporation’s branches in islands will be set based on the size of the island’s population and the branch’s customer base, says Ahmed Nazim, the deputy speaker of Parliament and top official from main ruling People’s National Congress (PNC).

The government decided last week to merge Fenaka, which is struggling with solvency issues, with the State Trading Organization (STO), with the option of deciding on the number of staff.

In an exclusive interview with Sun last week, Nazim said the number of staff in Fenaka’s branches will be finalized soon.

He said the “formula” to decide the staff numbers will be based on the size of the island’s population and the number of customers.

“I have been informed that the number of staff in islands will be finalized soon, based on an effective policy formulated based on the size of the population of islands and the number of customers,” he said.

Nazim said that branches will not be allowed to hire beyond the set limit.

He said that it is possible that some branches will be allowed to make more appointments, but said that branches will more staff will be downsized.

But Nazim does not see any issue in increasing the number of staff at state-owned enterprises such as Fenaka once the economy expands and grows.

“When the economy expands and when economic activities increase, so will the number of staff,” he said.

Deputy Speaker of Parliament, Dhangethi MP Ahmed Nazim -- Photo/ Parliament

Nazim said that the completion of the new international passenger terminal at the Velana International Airport (VIA) – a crucial economic project – will create at least 1,600 jobs at the Maldives Airports Company Limited (MACL).

“I have been informed that MACL will need to hire over 1,600 employees for the new terminal. More than 200 need to be hired for the Aviation Command alone,” he said.

Nazim said he does not see any issue with an increase in hirings through such economic expansion projects.

The quarterly report released by the Privatization and Corporatization (PCB) shows government-funded SOEs had 3,072 employees at the end of last year. Meanwhile, SOEs that manage their own expenses had 27,314 employees.

SOEs now have 33,284 employees. This includes 4,219 employees at government-funded SOEs and 29,065 employees at SOEs that manage their own expenses.

This is an increase of 2,545 employees.

The Waste Management Corporation (WAMCO) has the highest number of employees with 2,262 – an increase of 528 employees compared to the end of last year.

The number of staff at SOEs have increased over the years.