Minister of Economic Development Fayyaz Ismail has revealed plans to hold discussions on extending civil service working hours to 8 hours.
Speaking at the ceremony held to announce the minimum wage to be implemented in the Maldives, Economic Minister Fayyaz revealed the Minimum Wage Advisory Board had recommended the civil service working hours to be extended to 8 hours upon implementation of minimum wage. The economic minister noted private sector employees generally work 8 hours a day compared to 6 hours worked by civil servants, which creates a disparity as noted by the advisory board. Therefore, he said discussions will be held on extending civil service working hours.
As per the minimum wage announced by the government, civil servants and public sector employees must be paid at least USD 2.18 per hour. However, civil servants who work at least 30 hours a week will receive at least USD 453 per month.
The government stated 33,500 individuals will receive improved salaries following the implementation of minimum wage. This includes civil servants, employees of state-owned enterprises as well as private sector employees.