Protesters enter Fenaka office in Foakaidhoo after 14 employees dismissed
Demonstrators initially gathered outside the Fenaka office on Sunday night before returning on Monday afternoon.
Protesters entered the Fenaka Corporation office in Sh. Foakaidhoo on Monday as demonstrations continued over the dismissal of 14 employees from the state-owned utility company.
The protests began on Sunday night and have been led mainly by supporters of the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), along with family members of employees who lost their jobs.
Protesters allege that the 14 employees were dismissed without prior notice and were selected for termination because of their political affiliations.
Demonstrators initially gathered outside the Fenaka office on Sunday night before returning on Monday afternoon.
Protesters demanded that officials from the office come outside and respond to questions over the dismissals. When officials did not meet them, some demonstrators pushed past police officers and entered the Fenaka premises.
The protesters remained inside the premises while calling for Fenaka's Managing Director and officials responsible for the Foakaidhoo operation to explain the basis for the terminations.
They also called for all 14 employees to be reinstated.
Protesters said some of those dismissed had outstanding loans and families dependent on their income. They warned that demonstrations could be expanded if Fenaka's management did not respond to their demands.
The demonstrators also alleged that the dismissals were carried out using a list targeting employees affiliated with the MDP. They called on Fenaka to disclose how employees were selected for termination and who was involved in preparing the list.
Fenaka has been reducing its workforce as part of restructuring measures being implemented across the company.
In July, Parliament instructed Fenaka to determine staffing requirements at its branches and develop a new organisational structure based on its operational needs.
The Privatisation and Corporatisation Board (PCB) has also instructed state-owned enterprises to reduce their overall workforce by 33 per cent as part of measures to reduce expenditure.
Similar disputes over Fenaka's job cuts have emerged elsewhere in the country. Addu City Mayor Ali Nizar recently said more than 100 Fenaka employees had been dismissed in Addu and called for public opposition to the terminations. He also alleged that employees were being selected based on political affiliation.
The MDP has claimed that nearly 90 per cent of employees dismissed from state-owned companies in the recent round of job cuts are members of the opposition party. Some dismissed employees have filed cases with the Employment Tribunal.
The government has denied that political affiliation is being used as a basis for dismissals, maintaining that workforce reductions at state-owned companies are part of restructuring and expenditure reduction measures.
