On 10 December 2025, the IUF-affiliated Bodu Kanneli Masveringe Union (BKMU), the Yellowfin Tuna Fishers’ Union in the Maldives, renewed its call for the government to enforce fair prices for their catch as previously committed. This year, the action grew significantly, with 50 boats with over 500 members joining the rally highlighting the pressure on fishers’ and their families’ incomes and livelihoods. BKMU members use handline methods to catch yellowfin tuna sustainably, avoiding over-fishing and protecting the ocean ecosystem.
Following repeated actions by BKMU, the government committed to buy yellowfin tuna at a fair price to protect fishers’ livelihoods. However, despite continued calls, this commitment has not been implemented.
This year, the IUF-affiliated Tourism Employees Association of the Maldives (TEAM) joined BKMU in calling on the government to prioritize locally and sustainably sourced seafood to be served in the resorts. Their join proposal supports the BKMU members, their families and the local communities as well as the Maldives government’s international commitments.
“We are catching sustainably sourced seafood here in the Maldives, yet resorts are flying in frozen fish from thousands of miles away. It damages the environment but also the livelihoods of local communities. Serving locally sourced seafood across, more than 200, resorts is more environmentally, economically, socially, and ethically sustainable.” Mauroof Zakir, TEAM General Secretary
Both unions emphasize that government action on pricing and local sourcing is essential to meeting the Maldives’ commitments under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Their demands align with SDG 8.9 and SDG 12.b (Decent Work & Responsible Consumption and Production), ensuring fair income and decent livelihoods for fishers while promoting sustainable tourism. Encouraging resorts to source locally is a concrete step toward fulfilling these obligations, reducing the carbon footprint of imports, and supporting sustainable fishing methods.
SDG 13 and SDG 14 (Climate Action & Life Below Water) are deeply interconnected in the Maldives. Fair prices help secure the future of responsible fishing, while local sourcing by resorts reduces emissions and protects marine biodiversity.
“Our members care fighting to protect their livelihoods and the local communities. Allowing unfair pricing that undermines handline fishing directly contradicts government’s commitment. We want the government to fulfill it’s promise of fair price and promote locally sourced seafood.” Hussain Nasheed, BKMU President
BKMU and TEAM are urging the government to invest in small-scale processing facilities through which resorts can source tuna directly from within the Maldives. Such facilities would create local employment, sustainable food, and increase income for fishers and local community.
What’s good for fishers’ and their families is also good for Maldives.
foto diambil dari majalah HK Features Vol. 19 [Juli, 2025]
Dr Muhammad Hidayat Greenfield, Sekretaris Regional
Setiap anggota masyarakat yang beradab terkejut, marah atau kecewa dengan perlakuan kasar terhadap pekerja penyandang disabilitas yang dilakukan oleh McDonald’s Hong Kong.
Ironisnya, justru anggota masyarakat yang beradab itulah yang ingin McDonald’s Hong Kong ambil hatinya dengan mempekerjakan para pekerja penyandang disabilitas. Kebijakan perekrutan ini bertujuan untuk meningkatkan citra publik perusahaan dan pada akhirnya meningkatkan nilai mereknya. Namun, laporan kekerasan dan perlakuan buruk terhadap pekerja penyandang disabilitas justru merusak reputasi McDonald’s. Perusahaan kemudian merespons dengan upaya memperbaiki kerusakan reputasi ini tanpa menyelesaikan masalah itu sendiri.
Kita tidak boleh lupa bahwa pelecehan dan perlakuan buruk ini berdampak signifikan terhadap kesejahteraan mental, fisik, dan emosional pekerja penyandang disabilitas. Kepercayaan diri dan harga diri yang seharusnya dibangun oleh pekerjaan berbayar di sektor swasta langsung hilang — dan mungkin tak dapat diperbaiki — hilang saat menghadapi kekerasan dan perlakuan buruk ini. (Saya juga percaya kita semua kehilangan sedikit rasa kemanusiaan kita dalam menghadapi hal ini.)
Dilihat dari perspektif ini, McDonald’s Hong Kong telah gagal di beberapa level. Kegagalan ini tidak dapat diperbaiki hanya dengan memecat beberapa manajer yang tidak terlatih, tidak berpengalaman, dan bergaji rendah, lalu menyalahkan satu sama lain. Lebih lanjut, kegagalan multi-level ini terjadi saat mereka mendapatkan dukungan finansial pemerintah untuk program ketenagakerjaan yang diyakini masyarakat Hong Kong membantu pekerja penyandang disabilitas.
Ketika sebuah perusahaan mempekerjakan pekerja penyandang disabilitas, tentu saja hal itu memberikan kesempatan besar bagi mereka untuk bekerja, mendapatkan penghasilan, dan mencapai kemandirian finansial. Ini tentang mengembangkan keterampilan, membangun kepercayaan diri, dan merasa lebih berharga, sambil meluangkan waktu bekerja sebagai bagian dari tim. Akademisi dan pekerja sosial mengatakan hal ini sangat bermanfaat.
Namun, perusahaan yang mempekerjakan pekerja penyandang disabilitas tidak bisa hanya berfokus pada bagaimana hal ini meningkatkan citra perusahaan. Hal ini tidak bisa hanya menjadi bentuk tanggung jawab sosial perusahaan (CSR) yang disubsidi pemerintah. Perusahaan harus menyadari tanggung jawabnya untuk memastikan bahwa perolehan keterampilan, pembangunan kepercayaan diri, rasa harga diri, dan kerja sama tim benar-benar terwujud.
Sebuah perusahaan tidak dapat memberi tahu publik bahwa mereka mempekerjakan pekerja penyandang disabilitas tanpa membuat komitmen yang diperlukan untuk memastikan ini menjadi pengalaman yang baik bagi para pekerja tersebut – pekerjaan yang aman dan terlindungi dari diskriminasi dan perundungan.
Pada saat yang sama, semua manajer, supervisor, dan rekan kerja harus menerima pelatihan yang sesuai. Pelatihan ini bukan sekadar kebijakan, poster, atau pengarahan singkat lima menit. Ini adalah pelatihan yang sesungguhnya. Ketika bekerja dengan pekerja dengan Sindrom Down, misalnya, manajer dan supervisor memerlukan pelatihan khusus dalam keterampilan komunikasi, manajemen tugas, dan penilaian. Hal ini bermanfaat bagi semua orang – bukan hanya pekerja dengan Sindrom Down.
Demikian pula, pemberian tugas dan peran pekerjaan berkaitan langsung dengan pencapaian tujuan perekrutan pekerja penyandang disabilitas. Menugaskan pekerja dengan Sindrom Down untuk membersihkan toilet dan mengepel lantai di shift malam agar mereka “tidak terlihat” atau untuk mengurangi interaksi dengan pelanggan dan rekan kerja justru bertolak belakang dengan tujuan tersebut. Bagaimana seseorang bisa mendapatkan kepercayaan diri, membangun harga diri dan rasa percaya diri, serta memperoleh keterampilan jika mereka terus-menerus ditugaskan untuk tugas-tugas kasar yang “tidak terlihat” ini?
Hal ini menunjukkan bahwa perusahaan seperti McDonald’s Hong Kong memiliki kebijakan perekrutan yang beragam, tetapi tidak memiliki sistem untuk memastikan keragaman di tempat kerja melalui inklusi dan rasa hormat. Mungkinkah peningkatan citra perusahaan dan nilai merek hanya dibutuhkan dalam proses perekrutan, bukan dalam proses ketenagakerjaan? Tentu saja, kegagalan dalam memberikan pelatihan yang memadai kepada manajemen dan supervisor, yang dengan demikian menjamin lingkungan yang aman dan terjamin bagi pekerja penyandang disabilitas, merupakan kegagalan institusional yang mendasar.
Keterampilan yang dibutuhkan para manajer dan supervisor dalam komunikasi dan manajemen tugas sebenarnya merupakan bagian dari komitmen dan investasi sosial perusahaan. Hal ini memastikan bahwa komitmen terhadap keberagaman itu tulus dan bukan sekadar tindakan pencitraan. Memandang kontribusi sosial yang begitu penting sebagai bentuk lain dari periklanan dan nilai merek bukan hanya munafik, tetapi juga berbahaya.
photo from HK Feature Magazine Vol. 19 [July, 2025]
Dr Muhammad Hidayat Greenfield, Regional Secretary
Every decent member of the public is shocked, outraged, or disappointed by the abusive treatment of workers with disabilities by McDonald’s Hong Kong.
Ironically, it is the same decent members of the public that McDonald’s Hong Kong is trying to impress by hiring workers with disabilities. This hiring policy is intended to boost the public image of the company and ultimately add to its brand value. Instead, reports of abuse and mistreatment of workers with disabilities cause reputational damage for McDonald’s. The company then responds with efforts to fix this reputational damage without fixing the problem.
We must not forget that this abuse and mistreatment have a significant impact on the mental, physical, and emotional well-being of workers with disabilities. The confidence and self-esteem that paid employment in private industry is meant to encourage is immediately – and maybe irreparably- lost in the face of abuse and mistreatment. (I also believe we all lose a piece of our humanity in the face of this.)
Seen from this perspective, McDonald’s Hong Kong has failed at several levels. It is a failure that cannot be fixed by firing a couple of untrained, inexperienced, underpaid managers and attributing individual blame. Moreover, this multi-level failure occurs while benefiting from government financial support for a program of employment that the Hong Kong public is led to believe helps workers with disabilities.
When a company hires workers with disabilities, it is, of course, providing a great opportunity for them to work, to earn an income, and achieve a degree of financial independence. This is about developing skills, building confidence, and feeling greater self-worth, while spending time working as part of a team. Academics and social workers tell us that this is very beneficial.
However, a company that hires workers with disabilities cannot only focus on how this boosts the image of the company. It cannot simply be a form of corporate social responsibility (CSR) subsidized by the government. The company must recognize its responsibility to ensure that acquiring skills, building confidence, feeling self-worth, and working as part of a team actually happen.
A company cannot tell the public it is hiring workers with disabilities while not making the necessary commitment to ensure this is a good experience for these workers – a secure and safe job free from discrimination and harassment.
At the same time, all of the managers, supervisors, and co-workers must receive the appropriate training. This training is not a policy, poster, or five-minute briefing. It is actual training. When working with workers with Down Syndrome, for example, managers and supervisors require specific training in communication skills, task management, and assessment. This benefits everyone – not just workers with Down Syndrome.
Similarly, the assignment of tasks and job roles is directly related to achieving the goals of hiring workers with disabilities. Assigning workers with Down Syndrome to cleaning toilets and late shifts mopping floors to keep them “out of sight” or to reduce interaction with customers and co-workers is precisely the opposite of these goals. How can anyone gain confidence, build self-esteem and a sense of self-worth, and acquire skills if they are constantly assigned to these “out of sight”, menial tasks?
This suggests that companies like McDonald’s Hong Kong have diversity hiring policies, but no systems in place to ensure workplace diversity through inclusion and respect. Maybe the boost to corporate image and brand value is only needed in hiring, not employment? Certainly, the failure to provide the appropriate training to management and supervisors and thereby ensure a safe and secure environment for workers with disabilities is a fundamental institutional failure.
The skills required of managers and supervisors in communication and task management are, in fact, part of a company’s social commitment and social investment. It ensures that the commitment to diversity is genuine and not a public relations (PR) stunt. To approach such an important social contribution as just another kind of advertising and brand value is not only hypocritical, but dangerous.
