Lankans seeking Maldivian jobs need certified work contract

Chamikara Weerasinghe

COLOMBO: Certified work contracts approved by Sri Lankan Embassy in Maldives will be compulsory for jobs in Maldives according to new steps taken by the Ministry of Foreign Employment Promotion and Welfare.

The Ministry has taken this decision after considering various difficulties and hardships undergone by Sri Lanka migrant workers in obtaining their compensation and welfare payments from their Maldivian employers, ministry sources said.

The Ministry has announced that obtaining of a certified contract approved by the Sri Lankan Embassy in Maldives, registered with the Foreign Employment Bureau, will be compulsory for those who go to Maldives for employment.

The ministry pointed out that it would be difficult for the Sri Lankan embassy in Maldives to help Lankan workers in that country if they do not have a certified work contract approved by the Embassy and registered with the Sri Lanka Foreign Employment Bureau.

Since Maldives is made of group of small islands it would be difficult to trace any Lankan who needs urgent attention of the Embassy without details.

Ministry sources said that the embassy’s approval on work contracts and the registration of the contracts with the Foreign Employment Bureau, will make it easier for the ministry to identify and help the Lankan workers in Maldives on an emergency.