Maldives Post Limited has stated that no employee has been dismissed for whistleblowing and that the information being spread in the media is false. In a statement released by the company, they said that no employee has been dismissed in connection with whistleblowing. According to the company, the dismissed employee was one who had been given advice and warnings over a period of 10 months due to issues related to work performance and conduct, and was placed under a “Performance Improvement Plan”. They also stated that the dismissal was in accordance with company regulations and the Employment Act.
Furthermore, the statement mentioned that this employee had applied for the position of company secretary before being recruited for the position they were hired for, and had expressed dissatisfaction when not selected for that role. While still in the probation period of the recruited position, the employee applied for several senior positions advertised by the company, and expressed dissatisfaction in various places when not called for interviews for these positions.
The statement also revealed that the employee had sent a highly respected person from outside the office to meet with the Managing Director to voice their complaints about not being called for interviews for the positions they applied for and not being selected for the position they were interviewed for. Through this person, the employee demanded immediate promotion to a better position than their current one and to have their workspace moved to a separate room, threatening the Managing Director if these demands were not met quickly.
Post also highlighted that during the previous management, 49 individuals were given jobs without announcements or interviews, claiming it was under the authority of the Managing Director, bypassing the merit principle. This included very senior positions with salaries and allowances higher than those of long-serving executives and employees.
The statement from Post Office assured that no employee of the company has been dismissed for whistleblowing about any company matter to any state institution.
However, in this case, the Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) has decided to fine the company nine hundred thousand rufiyaa. This is reportedly for dismissing an employee who had whistleblown.
