Court staff wear black to protest new salary structure
A petition signed by 81 legal officers has been submitted to relevant state institutions.
Court employees across the Maldives reported to work wearing black on Monday in protest against the government’s new salary structure that came into effect this month.
Staff from courts in Malé and several islands participated in the protest action, raising concerns that the revised pay framework reduces benefits previously available to legal officers.
A petition signed by 81 legal officers has been submitted to relevant state institutions. The petition states that the new structure does not provide the intended benefits and has lowered overall earnings for many officers.
Under the revised framework, some allowances have been removed or reduced, including an overtime cap and adjustments to the job matrix, which legal officers argue has resulted in lower take-home pay.
Previously, legal officers working in state agencies and local councils were divided into four categories. The new system reduces this to two categories. Although the basic salary for both categories has increased slightly, the previous special allowance has been removed and replaced with a capped attendance allowance. The service allowance has also been reduced.
According to the figures shared by legal officers working in local councils:
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Legal officers in the first grade previously received a total of MVR 19,161; under the new structure they will receive MVR 18,920, a reduction of MVR 240.
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Legal officers in the upper grade previously received MVR 20,220; they will now receive MVR 18,920, a reduction of MVR 1,300.
Legal officers working in other government agencies, who receive promotions every two years, previously earned a maximum of MVR 18,700. Under the new structure, this rises slightly to MVR 18,900.
However, legal officers note that the pension deduction and overtime cap offset the minimal increase. They highlight that:
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Previously, working five days a week for eight hours a day resulted in total earnings of MVR 15,863.
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Under the new structure, working six days a week for the same hours results in earnings of MVR 14,540.
The petition also raises several concerns, including:
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Legal officers in councils and government agencies are prohibited from private practice and do not receive a non-practice allowance.
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The removal of step allowances erases differences in experience by placing long-serving officers and new recruits at the same pay level.
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Legal officers with master’s degrees now receive lower pay than diploma-level employees in other fields due to reclassification.
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Heads of Legal Sections carry added responsibilities that are not recognised in the new pay structure due to the change in grading.
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Several former employees have experienced reductions in total pay due to new positions created under the framework.
Court staff say they will continue to raise concerns until the matter is resolved.
