Other Employment and Welfare Services

Guideline for Migrant workers

Maldives is a nation of islands in the Indian Ocean that spans across the equator. The country is comprised of 1192 islands that stretch along a length of 871 kilometers. While the country covers an area of approximately 90,000 square kilometers, only 298 square kilometers of that is dry land. The islands are grouped into a double chain of 26 atolls. Only 200 of the islands are inhabited, and a select few on each of the atolls are resorts and some of the islands are used for industry and agriculture.

Out of the 557,426 Resident Population for the year 2020, 379,270 are Maldivians and 178,156 are foreigners. 44% of the expatriate employees works in Malé, while the rest of the 56% works at the atolls. Out of total expatriates, only 6% are women mostly employed as teachers in local and international schools.

43% of the total expatriate employees including Sri Lankans work in construction Industry and 16% work in tourism industry.

Top five countries of expatriate employment by nationality: Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, Nepal and China. There are 2 2,000 Sri Lankan work permit holders employed in Maldives.

Employment and Welfare services provided by the High Commission

Assistance for settling grievances and complaints of Migrant Workers

Entertaining grievances, complaints of migrant workers and intervention for settlement is one of the main tasks of the Employment and Welfare Section of the Mission.

If you encounter any form of difficulty at your work place, i.e. non-payment, underpayment, Physical harassment, sexual harassment, over work, excessive work, lack of communication with NOK, breach of contract, work stoppage without a justified cause, runaway domestic workers, runaway non-domestic workers from work place, lack of food/proper quality food, accommodation issues at work place, medical issues, sickness, etc. you can contact the Employment and Welfare section of the Mission for assistance.

The officials at the Employment and Welfare section will assist you in a transparent and speedy manner to address these issues for solution within the legal system of Maldives.

You can make your complaints to the High Commission, by visiting, through a representative, NOK, or by any mode of communication, telephone, fax, and email etc. Relevant Recruitment Agencies in Sri Lanka, Foreign agents, sponsors, Trade Union, NGO, SLBFE, Ministry of Foreign Employment, and Ministry of Foreign Affairs etc. also can make complaints to the Mission, upon which the Employment and Welfare section would take action. The Employment and Welfare section is also to take action on issues reported by the media or any other reliable sources which merit investigation.

A migrant worker who seeks assistance from the High Commission on non-payment/under payment of due salaries is required to provide relevant details of the officials responsible for Labour Relation Authority of the company/agency/entity for expeditious action.

A Sri Lankan migrant worker based in Maldives who seeks assistance from the Mission should have prior-registered with the SLBFE. Employment and Welfare issues of those who had not been registered with the SLBFE will be attended only on instructions from the SLBFE, and the officials at the Employment and Welfare section of the Mission cannot be held responsible for the delay in attendance on such cases.

In this context, all migrant workers are advised to be registered with the SLBFE before arriving in Maldives for employment purpose.

Post: Second Secretary – Employment and Welfare Section
Telephone (Direct): +960331 31 49
Fax No: +960332 16 52
Email: slhc.male@mfa.gov.lk

Assisting Runaway Domestic Employees

The High Commission extends assistance to the runway domestic workers from the sponsors’ accommodation due to any form of harassments and work place issues.

A domestic worker who encounters difficulties can report to the High Commission by visiting, through a representative, NOK, or by any mode of communication-telephone, fax, email etc.

As such employee is required to be interviewed by the Employment and Welfare officials at the High Commission, all details about the agency/sponsor, related documents, reports etc. are required to be submitted to the officials at the interview.

If you are suffering from any illness or any medical issue, you must immediately inform the High Commission officials of such issues on your arrival at the High Commission for urgent medical attention.

High Commission officials are to contact the employment agency upon your report at the High Commission to assess the situation and explore the possibility to find an amicable settlement for which your cooperation is extremely important.

In the event of a runaway domestic worker is reported to have been subjected to sexual abuse or physical torture, immediate action will be taken to produce her to the legal authorities for appropriate legal action against relevant parties.

The Mission will assist the runaway domestic worker to pursue her case on outstanding salaries and other entitlements through Maldives authorities as appropriate.

Please note that claiming outstanding salaries should be made to Maldives authorities while being in Maldives, since the possibility for claiming overdue salaries after returning to Sri Lanka is vey less.

Runaway domestic worker will not be handed over to the Sponsor/Agent without her/ his written consent.

You also will not be handed over to a second party other than the Sponsor/Agent, by the High Commission officials under any circumstances.

A runaway who is not willing to go back to the agent/sponsor will be arranged to repatriate to Sri Lanka through Maldives authorities in line with the local regulations.

The cost involved in the repatriation such as air ticket, immigration fines or overstaying fines etc. will have to be borne by the worker.

However, the domestic worker can claim the air ticket cost from the SLBFE on arrival in Colombo provided the worker had been a valid holder of the SLBFE registration.

Assisting Domestic Worker-In-Service

A domestic workers-in-service at the sponsor’s house who encounters employment related issues and any form of harassment at the work place can seek Mission’s intervention for relief.

Such an employee can seek High Commission’s assistance by visiting the High Commission, through a representative, NOK, or by any mode of communication-telephone, fax, email etc.

High Commission officials could contact the foreign employment agent upon receipt of a complaint and explore the possibility to find an amicable settlement.

In the event of a serious issue such as physical/sexual harassment, torture, medical disorder etc. the Mission will intervene in with the concurrence of the worker.

Grievances/Complaints Can Be Made To the High Commission By

Telephone (Direct): +960 331 31 49
Fax No.: +960 332 16 52
Email: slhc.male@mfa.gov.lk

Assisting Non-Domestic Workers

The High Commission is to assist non-domestic sector workers at their work place issues.

An employee under this category can seek High Commission’s assistance by visiting the High Commission, through a representative or by any mode of communication- telephone, fax, email etc.

An employee also can make a complaint through the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) upon which the Mission will take action.

If the complaint is of a corporate nature such as nonpayment, delay in payment, excessive work and poor food/accommodation etc. the Mission will take action to inform the management of the company for a suitable settlement.

In the event of extending assistance to a worker by making a formal complaint to the Maldives authorities, the worker is required to submit a written formal complaint/statement. Documents, as required by the officials at the Mission need to be submitted for perusal.

Non-Domestic employees are advised not to involve with other nationals at the worksite in making complaints, since terms and conditions might differ from nationality to nationality in the worksite.

In the event of a migrant worker, whose complaint is not settled amicably, the Mission will direct the respective migrant worker to file a case at Employment and Welfare courts/departments in line with local Employment and Welfare regulations.

Grievances/Complaints can be made to the High Commission by:

Telephone (Direct): +960 331 31 49
Fax No.: +960 332 16 52
Email: slhc.male@mfa.gov.lk

Grievances/Complaints can be made to the SLBFE by:

Post: Manager – Conciliation II
Telephone (Direct): +94 11 4342622
Fax No.: +94 11 2 864133
Email: mgr_concil@slbfe.lk
Website: www.slbfe.lk

Repatriation of Migrant Workers to Sri Lanka

The Mission extends assistance to the destitute workers who need to be repatriated to Sri Lanka due to various reasons including pre-mature termination of employment, contract, industrial dispute, etc. and under domestic worker category, physical and sexual harassment, no/under payment of wages, over work, poor food/accommodation provision and medical illness, over stay/illegal stay etc, to Sri Lanka.

In the event of repatriating a runaway migrant worker who had been absconded by the sponsor, should first be removed from absconding status by the sponsor, failing which the worker will be deported through the jail/deportation camp.

A worker could exit through the normal channel only when the absconding status is removed by the sponsor and she/he had been cleared of overstaying fines or any other penalty in Maldives. The worker must have a proper visa in the passport also.

In the case of over stay/illegal stay, the worker will be repatriated through the jail/deportation camp provided the worker opts for voluntary repatriation by way of surrendering to the authorities. However, in the event of worker is arrested by the authorities over the over stay/illegal stay, she/he will be deported only through the jail, which might entail payment of penalty and serving jail terms as decided by the authorities.

Cost for air ticket for repatriation of a non-domestic worker due to the fault of the employer should be borne by the employer.

In the event of a runaway domestic worker, the Mission will explore the possibility to receive the cost for air ticket from the sponsor/foreign agent, failing which the runaway domestic worker/NOK or any other source will have to bear the cost.

Domestic/Non-Domestic worker can claim for the air ticket cost from the SLBFE through the insurance on arrival in Colombo provided the worker had been a valid holder of SLBFE registration.

Cost for air ticket will be borne by the SLBFE only on exceptional cases and on a special approval from the Workers Welfare Fund (WWF) for valid holders of SLBFE registration.

The Mission is to assist in repatriation of migrant workers who needs special care with the assistance of all stake holders: company/sponsor, agent etc.

Assisting Sri Lankan Detainees Serving Jail Terms in Maldives

The Mission’s officials make regular visits to jails in Maldives to provide consular assistance, and detainees who need consular assistance from the Mission should meet the officials at the meeting point in the jails under the permission of the jail authorities.

Detainees are required to provide sufficient information to the officials who engage in conversation with detainees for expeditious assistance.

The Mission officials will assist the detainees in communication with family members/ company, Maldives legal establishment etc.

Consular assistance is extended to the detainees in line with local regulations governed in connection with extending consular assistance to the detainees.

Detainees who are transferred to deportation camps after serving jail terms will be interviewed by the High Commission officials to provide necessary assistance/issuing Sri Lankan travel documents on the request of Maldives authorities for deportation.

Detainees are required to bear the cost for air ticket at the deportation.

The High Commission can be contacted for assistance by:

Telephone (Direct): +960 331 31 49
Fax No.: +960 332 16 52
Email: Slhc.male@mfa.gov.lk

Registration of the Company/Recruitment Agency

A company/Manpower recruitment agency in Maldives that expects to recruit employees from Sri Lanka should register under the Sri Lanka Bureau of Foreign Employment (SLBFE) through the High Commission of Sri Lanka, Maldives.

Duly filled application forms-Registration of Recruitment Agents/Companies-and the application form-Information of Recruitment Agency/Company in Maldives together with documents appended below should be submitted to the Employment and Welfare section of the Mission for registration.

The authenticity of the Sri Lankan recruitment agencies will be verified at the registration and only 05 Sri Lankan Agencies are permitted for one applicant.

Once all formalities are completed, a certificate with registration number will be issued to the company/agency.

Details of the company/agency will be entered in the SLBFE registration system for future reference.

Annual Renewal of Registration of the Company/Recruitment Agency

Recruitment company/agency should renew its validity of the registration for recruiting of Sri Lankan manpower at the end of one year from the first/last registration.

The Mission will assess the compliance of the company/agency in line with terms and conditions as indicated in the original application at the renewal process.

Cooperation extended to the Mission/Sri Lankan agency in attending to the grievances of migrant workers will be one of the key yardsticks at the assessment for renewal of the registration.

USD 42/- will be levied on registration/renewal of the company/recruitment agency

Once all formalities are completed, the license will be renewed for further period of one year under the original license number.