Fitial retains work hour cuts for federally funded workers

Gov. Benigno R. Fitial is not budging in his decision not to lift the 16-hour cuts among federally funded employees despite requests from federal and local officials, even though the administration said in late February that it was already considering the restoration of 80 work hours biweekly for these workers.

“It is a big mistake that the governor continues to not exempt these employees,” Rep. Frank Dela Cruz (R-Saipan) said yesterday.

He said these are “federal dollars that can be circulating in the CNMI.”

Rep. Froilan Tenorio (Cov-Saipan) reiterated his request to the governor to restore the 80-hour work biweekly for federally funded employees, saying that several, if not all federally funded programs “require that payroll funds be used for that purpose or we lose it.”

Tenorio said the funds for the following fiscal year will also be reduced by the amount that was not used the previous year.

“We are losing revenues from the lost income. Governor, there is no justification to continue this policy. Why should all government employees suffer just because we don’t have the local funds to pay everybody 40 hours a week?” Tenorio, a former governor and speaker, told Fitial in a letter he sent Thursday.

Tenorio said if the government can help some of the workers, “why not?”

“It is just not fair, governor. Although it’s only one day a week off, the net effect is really over 25 percent reduction in pay when you factor in the unpaid holidays. Many employees are now taking home only $400 every two weeks. How can a family of four survive on this salary?” he asked.

Tenorio, however, made a disclosure that his wife is employed by the Commonwealth Healthcare Corp. and is paid with federal funds.

He asked the governor how much is needed to pay everybody 40 hours a week “and let us find it.”

Fitial, in his fiscal year 2013 budget submission to the Legislature on March 30, said the government needs almost $7 million to lift the austerity measures in the coming fiscal year.

Tenorio has been pushing for casino gaming legalization on Saipan to help generate new revenue.

“Let me remind you, governor, that we tried in the House of Representatives to provide funding for this purpose in the casino bill that was defeated. But in the meantime, if we can’t do anything about this matter promptly, the incumbent legislators have no business running for re-election this year,” Tenorio told Fitial.

House floor leader George Camacho (Ind-Saipan), for his part, said the administration’s position on the issue is about morale and not about funding.

“They believe that keeping morale high in the workplace will bring more productivity over longer work hours for a select few. They want to run an efficient and productive workplace,” he said.

Camacho also said some federal grants can be redirected toward operations if requested early “so that such funds can be thoroughly exhausted.”

U.S. Assistant Secretary for Insular Affairs Tony Babauta also requested Fitial to exempt Office of Insular Affairs-funded programs in January, to no avail.

Delegate Gregorio Kilili Sablan (Ind-MP) also earlier asked Fitial to exempt the Women, Infants and Children Program, to comply with federal law that says the WIC Program may not be subject to state budget restrictions.

Fitial exempted for 60 days since February the Nutrition Assistance Program from the austerity Fridays, to catch up on a backlog of some 900 eligibility cases that need to be reviewed.

Press secretary Angel Demapan said yesterday that “there has not been any further requests since then.”

“The governor did approve their initial request to be exempted for 60 days for purposes of addressing their backlog and because it was determined that sufficient funds were available,” he said.

Lt. Gov. Eloy S. Inos told reporters in late February that the Fitial administration was already reviewing whether the 80 hours could be restored for all federally funded programs and agencies.

Inos said at the time a final decision could be made within the next 30 days or so.

“This matter is still under advisement with the governor,” Demapan said yesterday.

Rep. Ray Yumul (R-Saipan) said it is “not right” that federally funded employees need to get 16-hour cuts.

“We need to follow the grant as written for. If it calls for 80 hours of work, then it’s that,” he said.

The $102 million budget for fiscal year 2012 was premised on 64-hour work biweekly for locally funded agencies. The 2013 budget also calls for a 64-hour work biweekly.