Malé, Maldives – The national airline Maldivian’s pilots are set to go on strike at 16:00 tomorrow if the airline does not uphold the pledge to increase their salary to original amounts following pandemic induced reduction.
The pilots of Maldivian stated that their salary was cut down to MVR 9000 due to the Covid-19 travel crisis and have not been increased to the full amount since.
While the pilots had not raised any issue at the time and continued to work the pilots said that Maldivian has not raised their salaries to the full amount even with the recovery since borders reopened. Thirty percent was added to the reduced salary according to local news Addulive. Maldivian pilots state that while the airline status has recovered with regular flights it is unfair to keep their salaries so low.
The pilots who were also active in their national duty in transporting vaccines and medical equipment across Maldives expressed their dismay at the situation.
We are not asking for a frontline allowance like other frontline workers. We are just asking for our original salary [as they were before Covid-19]
Maldivian Pilots
The Maldivian pilots have sent a letter explaining their request to the Director of Island Aviation and state that if the issue is not resolved they will stop flying starting 16:00 on 12 September 2021.
