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229 garment workers to lose jobs
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Posted on Sep 04 2008
The Department of Labor ordered yesterday the revocation of the work permits of 229 foreigners working at garment manufacturer United International Corp., effective Sept. 21 when UIC ceases operations.
Labor Administrative Hearing Officer Herbert D. Soll, however, granted transfer relief to the 229 UIC alien workers, most of them Chinese.
Soll directed each worker to register with Labor’s Division of Employment Services no later than Oct. 6, 2008.
The hearing officer gave each worker 30 days from the date of registration to find a suitable new employer and submit a signed employer intent form to Employment Services.
Any worker who fails to file the employment intent form within the 30-day period will be required to report to Jeff Camacho of the Labor Enforcement Section within five days in order to arrange for his or her repatriation.
“In such event, any refusal or failure by the worker to depart from the Commonwealth shall result in the worker’s name being forwarded to the Office of the Attorney General for deportation proceedings,” Soll said.
He said the job vacancy announcement requirement will be waived if the worker will transfer to a similar job category in another garment factory.
If any employee requests repatriation or the repatriation is arranged following a worker’s failure to submit an employer intent form within the required period, the employer of record shall be notified and must provide a repatriation ticket within 15 days.
The worker, Soll said, must depart the CNMI within 15 days after the repatriation ticket is delivered to Labor or the matter will be referred to the Division of Immigration.
On Sept. 21, UIC will join seven other garment factories that have closed since the start of 2008, affecting over a thousand workers.
With UIC’s closure, only three garment factories will remain on Saipan.
Many garment factories on Saipan started ceasing operations since January 2005 when the World Trade Organization lifted trade quotas.
CNMI used to have 34 garment factories, contributing some $60 million in direct taxes a year to the local government.
