Opposition leader and Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) chairperson Fayyaz Ismail on Sunday blamed the government’s economic mismanagement for a planned strike by staff at Trans Maldivian Airways (TMA), the world’s largest seaplane operator and a key part of the country’s tourism infrastructure.
In a post on social media platform X, Fayyaz described the strike as “yet another instance of an economy in trouble brought on directly as a result of President Mohamed Muizzu’s bad policies”.
TMA pilots and staff have threatened to strike on 26 July after the airline announced it would pay 20 percent of their salaries in Maldivian Rufiyaa (MVR), in line with new foreign exchange regulations requiring part of its US dollar income to be converted into local currency. The workers are demanding that wages continue to be paid entirely in US dollars.
With more than 200 pilots and control of about 80 percent of the country’s seaplane operations, TMA transfers tourists to over 80 resorts. The planned strike is likely to cause significant disruption and could leave hundreds of travellers stranded. The company has not yet issued a public statement on the strike.
Fayyaz said the government’s “inability to raise finance, continuous flip-flopping on key policies, and wasteful use of limited resources” had eroded investor confidence, contributing to a shortage of US dollars in the domestic market.
“Ordinary citizens & businesses [are] made to feel the brunt of the government’s failures,” he wrote.
The opposition leader also criticised the Muizzu administration’s handling of labour relations, calling on the government to engage in negotiations with striking workers.
“The Industrial Relations law introduced by MDP lays out clear and transparent mechanisms for labour negotiations,” the former economic minister said. “We urge the government to negotiate with workers to ensure that a workable solution is found quickly.”
The government has so far remained silent on the planned strike.
Tourism is the country’s biggest economic driver, contributing around 30 percent of GDP. Any prolonged disruption to airport or seaplane operations could have serious knock-on effects on the sector, which is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and facing heightened external debt risks.