President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has stated that increasing the participation of young men and women is the most crucial component of the country’s workforce development. He made the remarks in his statement on the occasion of International Workers Day.
In the statement, President Solih conveyed greetings and good wishes to all members of the local workforce, their families, institutions, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that work towards promoting and protecting the rights of workers. The president highlighted the essential roles of each member of the workforce and underscored the need to protect and promote the rights of workers to ensure national development. He noted the work that still needs to be done on the matter including the issues facing workers, such as unfair wages and discrepancies in remuneration, poor living and working conditions, and delayed wage payments. He stressed that such oversights are strict violations of the constitution and laws that govern the rights of workers.
Furthermore, President Solih noted some of the administration’s achievements in promoting and protecting the rights of workers including the legislative efforts to introduce and implement a minimum wage and mandate the collection and distribution of service charges for tourism sector employees. He also spoke about the economic downturn caused by the COVID-19 pandemic and lauded the role of employees in the administration’s revival and recovery efforts. He added that strengthening the workforce would drive national progress further.