some quick info about the resort
Name of resort Summer Island Village
Phone number +960-6641949
Fax number +960-6641910
Email address siv@summerislandvillage.com.mv to view it
Length 500 m
Width 120 m
Means of transport to island fast dhoani, seaplane
Distance to airport (Hulule) 35, 4 km
Time of transfer 1 3/4 hrs (fast Dhoni)
Main nationalities of guests :German, Dutch, swiss, English
Room service No
Number of rooms: 108
Type of rooms :
Standard 92
Water Villa 16
Manager: Navaratne Rajah Sugumar
Maldives Resort Workers 
Dear Emma.
Thanks for all the empathy you have for the staff Emma… If all of our guests are half as considerate and thoughtful of the staff, the resort managements will dare not do anything except pamper the staff…
You have asked so many questions in one paragraph… and we will try to go over all the questions v briefly… We can elaborate of course if you want more…
1. Where are all the staff workers at night? Ans. @ staff quarters.
2. Are they all in this tiny place inside of the island, this place behind the walls? Ans. In most cases yes, in some resorts they have dedicated staff villages or staff areas away from guest areas. Like in Anantara, 4 Seasons Kuda Huraa, etc.
3. Where are those that are free (sure they have to have free days??)
when they are free? Ans. Once a week one day.
4. Can they go the beach? Ans. Mostly no, but in giant islands like Filitheyo, there are areas staff can go to beach without being seen by the guests.. the staff are supposed to be invisible in most resorts.
5. Can they NOT go the beach? Ans. Mostly no and even if allowed, most locals and staff live with beach and sun and sand all through their life, so its not a novelty..
6. Oh, they can NOT go the beach? Ans. mostly no.
7. Is this whole paradise thing only for us, the tourists? Ans. in a figure of speech..
8.How can I possibly enjoy what I am enjoying so much when I can only enjoy it because I’m a stupid tourist? Ans. not necessarily..
9. What about the people whose country this is??? Ans. very valid point; we have a crisis in labour market (in the country) with high unemployment, an unregulated expatriate work force, and it will take time to sort out..
10.Or the people who come here because they need work and money to support their families back home? Ans. Its heartbreaking sometimes, to hear stories of sacrifices some expatriates were forced to make at the hands of ‘agents’ who procure them for work in Maldives…
11. And what about the working conditions, anyway? Ans. In some resorts the conditions are bad and in some places its very good… According to our sources there in the Summer Island, that island belongs to the lower category.
12.How are the staff accommodated? Ans. in staff accommodation blocks.
13.Do they have air condition at all? Ans. Some employers provide air conditioning and hot water. It depends..
14. How many are there in one room? Ans. It depends. we know of an employer who housed 21 employees in a 16x16feet room, and other employers who were more generous.
15. How much are they paid? Ans. different rates in different resorts. we are compiling a list of positions and wages in different resorts. The figures vary greatly.
16. Do they really get the money I put in the tip boxes? Ans. Sometimes. Could mean very few times..
17. Where do they all come from? Ans. The staff are mostly from the local islands (Maldivians), then we have Indians, Sri Lankans, Bangladeshis, Nepalis, Philippinos, etc.. many nationalities. Maldives is in fact one of the few countries in the world were obtaining a work visa is a piece of cake!
18. How do they get there? Ans. different modes of transportations..
19. Do they know about the working conditions before they sign? Ans. For the newbees no, but the experienced ones know what to expect.
20. Do they have working contracts? Ans. up until very recently none. Now that there is labour law, the employers are required to contract workers.
21. Do they get paid the flights there and back home? Ans. where applicable, yes..
22. Or do they have to pay them themselves? Ans. Sometimes the resort will only pay for the nearest airport and the worker will have to manage from there to his home at his own expense.
23. What about when they are kicked out? Ans. Its not uncommon to send “kicked out staff” away via the garbage collecting boat… the idea is to humiliate the staff. very common practice!
24. Do they have holidays? Ans. grudgingly given. For example there was a special case of two public holidays coinciding just 3 days ago. Most resorts did not allow the staff to have those two days because the labour law was not explicit about what to do in a situation like this. We at the maldivesresortworkers are in talks with some MPs to introduce a clause to the labour law to specify what is to be done in a future situation like this.
25. Free time? Ans. Some (staff) gets none, and others get some…
26. Is there something like a worker’s law in the Maldives, and what does it cover? Ans. There is one labour law which is not yet 2 years old and there are already a big list of amendments to the same bill in the parliament.
27. Do they have the possibility to ask things or change things or are they fired whenever they say something against anyone? Ans. Mostly yes. The moment you raised an issue, the HR marks you as an enemy… There is this type of wrong mentality by most employers which will take time change…
28. What rights do they have? Ans. Not much more than slave in the olden times..
Once again thanks so much for being so considerate about the welfare of the staff..
most respectfully yours
Maldives resortworkers.
Dear all,
We are a young couple from Germany who have just come back from a 11 day stay on Ziyaaraifushi – nowadays called “Summer Island” (which I find stupid – as I, in a way, feel that anybody not being able to remember the name doesn’t really have the right to stay somewhere as beautiful, though that may sound a bit harsh.)
It has been our first visit to the Maledives. We ended up there quite on chance – really needing to have a few days off of anything we do here in Germany, not having a big budget, just wanting to be somewhere beautiful, far away from our daily lives – we would have never thought that there could be a possibility to get even somewhere close to the Maledives, but when we saw this last minute offer, and compared it to other possibilites in Greece, Italy or somewhere else in Europe, we just couldn’t say no. You may call it naive – going to a country without knowing anything really about it – but this is how it was, anyway.
Let me tell you that we had one of the most happiest, most beautiful times of our lives. When I look at the photos that we took of our stay – we took a lot of them, and I still look at them every day – the memory overwhelmes me. Also, when I look at my own face on these photos, I have to think that I look somewhere near sad – you know the way when things are on the verge of being simply too beautiful they nearly make you cry? I felt a lot like nearly crying because of all the beauty surrounding me.
Let me also say that I know: the “nature” that so striked me is nothing near “nature” per se – but the product of uncountable people who garden it, care and take care of every leave on the ground and stone on the beach. So I know that it is, in a way, an artificial paradise: a picture of a paradise, a paradise in such a way that people like us think of a paradise.
Let me also say that we are so thankful for the way these uncountable people who worked there for us did all the things for us. Some of them have faces for me, some even names. Many of them, however, I have never had the chance to meet, or say thank you to, or tip, or whatever more or less stupid or helpless gesture I could have thought to give them. I know I could never give anything back the way I should.
The food has been marvellous,the service more than great. Especially knowing that the time of Rhamazan is a special, difficult time for people having to work so hard without food or even water (especially for people who eat and drink all the time and who load their plates with so much food they don’t even have half the chance to eat it all up): people were so, so friendly.
You know, the way the role of being a tourist influences your view a lot. So the whole first week I ran around the island nothing else than being happy. It’s strange. Only after this first week I started to ask myself questions. They may sound very naive to you. I’m sorry for that. Please do not get angry at my naivety. I pose them anyway. I started asking myself things like: Where are all the staff workers at night? Are they all in this tiny place inside of the island, this place behind the walls? Where are those that are free (sure they have to have free days??) when they are free? Can they go the beach? Can they NOT go the beach? Oh, they can NOT go the beach? Is this whole paradise thing only for us, the tourists? SHIT! How can I possibly enjoy what I am enjoying so much when I can only enjoy it because I’m a stupid tourist? What about the people whose country this is??? Or the people who come here because they need work and money to support their families back home? And what about the working conditions, anyway? How are the staff accomodated? Do they have air condition at all? How many are there in one room? How much are they paid? Do they really get the money I put in the tip boxes? Where do they all come from? How do they get there? Do they know about the working conditions before they sign? Do they have working contracts? Do they get paid the flights there and back home? Or do they have to pay them themselves? How can they? What about when they are kicked out? Do they have holidays? Free time? Is there something like a worker’s law in the Maldives, and what does it cover? Do they have the possibility to ask things or change things or are they fired whenever they say something against anyone? What rights do they have?
And most of all: CAN I POSSIBLY COME BACK?? Now that I kind of woke up to all these questions ( and, yes, I know, I know: how stupid to not have asked them in advance! You know, I have not travelled for a long time. So I kind of really came here naked.) Now that I kind of woke up to all these questions, I don’t think I could possibly come back without some kind of answers. Answers that don’t make me a stupid, uncaring, immoral tourist girl.
I don’t know if you can help me. I will try to find any information that I can.
I want you to know that these holidays made me so happy. They also got me so worried and sad. These both things stand next to each other, in a very, very confusing way.
I wanted to tell you how I felt. I want to tell you that I want to respect you and have a feeling that I didn’t do say – simply because of coming there. Living in this paradise when the people who made it a paradise for me don’t live in a anything near a condition that could be called that.
Thank you for listening. I would be glad for any reply.
Thank you.
emma.