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The Maldives has instructed employers to take immediate steps to open bank accounts in the names of migrant workers and ensure that their salaries are paid directly into those accounts.
The country’s Home Ministry issued the directive following amendments to regulations governing the employment of foreign workers.
Under the revised rules, salaries of migrant workers must be deposited into accounts held in their own names. Payments must be made through banks or financial institutions registered or authorised by the Maldives Monetary Authority (MMA).
The Bangladesh High Commission in the Maldives confirmed the new requirement and urged Bangladeshi expatriate workers to contact their employers to open valid bank accounts as soon as possible.
The commission also encouraged workers to receive their salaries and conduct financial transactions through formal banking channels.
The new system is expected to increase transparency in salary payments and bring migrant workers further into the formal banking system.
It will also help workers maintain documentary evidence of salary payments in the event of labour-related disputes with employers.
The directive is part of wider measures by the Maldivian authorities to regulate the employment and immigration system for foreign workers.
The government has also tightened rules on converting business or special visas into work permits.
