Speaker of Parliament Mohamed Nasheed has affirmed the Parliamentary Committee on Economic Affairs will determine a minimum wage following deliberations.
Speaking at the parliament sitting today, Speaker Mohamed Nasheed said the report submitted by Ministry of Economic Development regarding minimum wage has been sent to the committee for further deliberations. The speaker revealed the committee will make a decision based on advisory of technical experts in reference to the report.
The explanations of speaker comes amid a comment made by Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail saying determining the minimum wage is delayed due to the procedures of the parliament, although initially he said an amount will be decided by the end of February. The economic minister apologised to the public for the delay in establishing a minimum wage.
Minimum Wage Advisory Board (MWAB) decided to set a minimum wage of USD 415 in Maldives. The board suggested a minimum wage of between USD 415 and USD 518 for the sectors of construction, tourism, fisheries, agriculture, education and small and medium enterprises.
The administration recently proposed amendments to Employment Act to grant the economic minister the authority to set minimum wage in Maldives. According to the amendments proposed to the act, the minimum wage policy must include hourly rate, over time pay and other specific pay details. The policy must also include minimum wage for specific sectors and specify the dates of pay.