The President, Dr. Mohamed Muizzu, ratified the Industrial Relations Bill today.
The Parliament passed this bill during its 37th sitting of the third session this year, held on Monday, December 18, 2023.
The bill delineates activities promoting the exercise of constitutional rights, such as the right to form trade unions and to participate in or abstain from their activities. It also outlines the parameters of such rights and specifies the procedures for creating employee and employer trade unions, as well as the processes for resolving disputes between employers and employees and other trade union-related details.
Moreover, within thirty days from the date of ratification, the President is obligated to appoint an individual to serve as the Registrar of Unions. The Registrar of Unions will manage and maintain employee and employer trade union registration, enforce legal and regulatory measures against unions that breach laws and regulations, and fulfill all other responsibilities imposed by this law.
Any employee and employer trade union registered under any other law or regulation must submit an application to the Registrar of Unions under the new law within three months of ratification. Additionally, the eight-member Tripartite Advisory Board is to be constituted within this period. Simultaneously, the Employment Tribunal of the Maldives will create a new division called the Industrial Dispute Resolution Division.
The Industrial Relations Act was published in the Government Gazette upon ratification and will take effect after three months.