This Government Treats Workers Like Property: MP Mauroof

Kendhoo MP Mauroof Zakir, commonly known as “Matey,” has accused the current government of treating employees as if they were possessions or commodities that can be used and discarded at will.

He made the remarks during a parliamentary debate on a resolution concerning allegations that state-owned companies are dismissing employees for political reasons under the guise of workforce reductions. Zakir strongly criticized the government’s continued dismissal of employees from state-owned enterprises.

Zakir said that although this is the 21st century, the government behaves as though it can hire people when it wants, dismiss them whenever it chooses, and intimidate families because of their political views.

“What era are we living in? People are being treated like property. They are hired when convenient, dismissed when convenient, hired again the next day, and then threatened by calling their families. This is what is happening.”

He argued that the first step toward protecting workers’ rights is for employees of companies across the country to form labor unions.

According to Zakir, workers must organize themselves and become strong enough to ensure that neither the government nor company management can ignore or undermine their rights.

He further said that workers should exercise their constitutional right to industrial action, including the right to strike.

“Once workers exercise their right to strike, these companies can be brought to a halt. Fenaka can be stopped, STELCO can be stopped, and MPL can be stopped. Then no one will dare dismiss employees.”

Zakir said that when workers have greater collective power, company management will have to be accountable to employees rather than the other way around. He added that this is how workers’ rights are protected in many other countries around the world.

Concluding his speech, Zakir warned that if people fail to stand up for one another’s rights, everyone’s rights will eventually be undermined. He reiterated that, at present, the most important solution to preventing unjust job losses is for workers to establish and strengthen labor unions.