Parliament has passed two crucial bills on the rights of workers. The Occupational Health and Safety Bill passed with 67 votes in favour and the Industrial Relations Bill passed with 68 votes in favour.
The Industrial Relations Bill was proposed on behalf of the previous government by Parliamentarian Ibrahim Shareef. The bill aims to introduce the legal framework required for registering unions for workers. The bill was formulated according to recommendations made by the Maldives Trade Union Congress (MTUC).
The Occupational Safety and Health Bill was proposed by Parliamentarian Ahmed Abdulla in November 2022 on behalf of the then-government. The bill aims to ensure the safety of employees at work and a fair work environment and enables fines to be imposed on employers for unsafe workplaces and for workers to receive compensation for injuries sustained at work.
Additionally, the bill states that a 13-member work plan safety and health advisory council should be formed, which would be tasked with giving recommendations to the relevant cabinet minister. The council would also be required to collect data and formulate statistics on workplace injuries and deaths. The council would be headed by a director general and its members would consist of representatives of employees, employers, and the health ministry.
Further responsibilities of the council include conducting a health and safety inspection after workplace-related accidents and submitting the report to the director general. It is also authorised to issue fines of up to USD6,500 if the site of the accident was tampered with before the investigation has concluded.
Furthermore, the bill defines the responsibilities of both the employer and the employee. As such, employees face a fine of up to USD1,600 if found guilty of taking any action that harmed anyone at the workplace. The employees are also required to give their full support to employers and properly use safety equipment and face a fine of USD65 on failure to comply.
Employers are responsible for maintaining safety at the workplace and will be issued a fine of up to USD50,000 if they are found to have failed to comply with the rules written in the bill. Employees are also required to obtain permission from the director general to conduct some work. The bill also defines the methods for receiving compensation for injuries sustained at work and allows employees to file a lawsuit if the employer refuses to obey.