Protesting fishermen force Addu factory shut down

The operation of the Addu Fisheries Complex of Maldives Industrial Fisheries Company (MIFCO) has been suspended since Saturday evening due to the ongoing protest by fishermen.

Fishermen have been protesting at the fish factory since Friday over the lack of payment for the fish bought by MIFCO from them in the past three months. The protest continues on Sunday as well.

MIFCO PR Manager Ibrahim Saeed told Atoll Times on Sunday that the factory cut off power Saturday afternoon and suspended operations at around 5 pm due to the fishermen’s protest.

Although the power was restored at the request of the police, the company later disconnected the power as it believed there could be a conflict of interest and consequent damage to the premises, property and employees, he said.

"The fishermen's demand is to cut off the electricity from the accommodation and admin building cafeteria and pay the pending payments as soon as possible," Saeed said.

"The fishermen have threatened to evacuate staff and take the site under their control after 4pm on Sunday”.

He added:

Ibrahim Saeed alleged that the fishermen entered the staff canteen through a window while it was closed and used the food inside without permission. The power outage in the accommodation block also forced factory employees to sleep outside on tarpaulin sheets on Saturday evening, he said.

“The basic needs of the employees such as food and access to toilets have not been met,” he said, urging the employees not to do things that would violate their human rights.

"The company will do whatever it takes to protect its employees in collaboration with the relevant authorities”.

More than 100 people, including foreigners, are employed at the factory. MIFCO's appeal is for the fishermen to protest peacefully, he said.

“In particular, the potential loss of company property or to the employees will be a blow to the industry as a whole,” he added.