HRCM Faces Hiring Challenges Due to Low Salaries

The Human Rights Commission of the Maldives (HRCM) is encountering difficulties in recruiting new staff, attributed to the low salaries offered to its employees.

Senior officials of HRCM were summoned to the Parliament’s Human Rights and Gender Committee to discuss the commission’s annual reports for 2022 and 2023.

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During the committee meeting, HRCM President Mariyam Muna highlighted that the commission’s pay structure has remained unchanged for 12 years. She explained that while the salaries may be high compared to the Civil Service, they have not been adjusted in line with changes in the pay framework of other independent institutions. 

Muna noted that employees at other independent institutions established in the past twelve years receive significantly higher salaries than those at HRCM. This discrepancy poses challenges in both hiring new staff and retaining current employees, who often move to other institutions offering better pay.

Despite the substantial funds allocated for staff training through international sources, the current pay structure fails to incentivise even indispensable staff to remain with HRCM. Muna pointed out that job vacancies at HRCM used to attract 70 to 100 applications, but now this number has dwindled to below 10. 

Some positions, particularly in legal, research, and monitoring, receive no applicants at all, which Muna attributed to the higher salaries offered by other institutions for similar roles.

In addition to salary issues, the commission is facing space constraints. Currently, 81 out of its 84 employees are working in a 6,000-square-foot workspace in Male’, located in the Star Cinema building. This limited space necessitates hiring halls for every event and training session, leading to high expenses. 

Furthermore, Muna revealed a fungus issue in the HRCM office premises, causing health problems for many employees. There are also ventilation and air purification issues, prompting HRCM to request a different office space from the Finance Ministry, accompanied by budget details.

Moreover, HRCM members discussed the challenges faced by the commission due to its lack of independence in budget matters and issues stemming from current laws.