Illegal workers vow to continue protests

Five remaining Chinese workers that were illegally recruited continue to protest over unpaid wages in front of the Imperial Pacific Resort. (Contributed Photo)

The remaining Chinese workers illegally recruited to work on the Imperial Pacific Resort in Garapan earlier this year said over the weekend that they would continue to protest for wages they believe are owed to them.

Having demonstrated over the weekend, the remaining seven members of the once 40-some tourist workers hired by MCC International, the main contractor of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC to work on the hotel-casino IPR, said in a statement over the weekend that they would continue to protest for their wages.

The workers were held of their wages after MCC’s illegal hiring was unveiled.

According to the statement, some members of the worker group illegally hired paid over $6,000 in recruitment fees only to be reportedly forced to work for 13 hours a day “with little rest.”

“We were docked pay or fired when we were sick and we were never paid what we were legally owed,” the statement read.

IPI has attempted to negotiate with the Chinese workers, however, the remaining workers declined to accept offers less than what their co-workers received, which was reportedly significantly less than what is offered to those protesting.

According to the workers, IPI has not reached out to them during their last protest in Dec. 12, 2017. The workers protested once again last Friday at 1pm.

“…Until today, nobody from the casino has appeared to consult with us. They still refuse to provide us food or water,” the statement said.

In an earlier communication, IPI through their lawyer Sean Frink informed the remaining workers that they would be ceasing humanitarian support of the workers as well as retract their offer to pay the wages owed to them according to the CNMI Department of Labor and shoulder their repatriation expenses by Nov. 27, 2017.

The seven workers did not accept IPI’s offer, as they believe it was not enough.

On the same day Frink’s letter was delivered, Metro Time LLC, owner of the building that houses the workers, issued a letter that informed them that they would be evicted from the premises 30 days after Nov. 20, 2017.

IPI has been providing humanitarian support for the workers despite the lack of legal obligation to do so.

The workers said in their statement that they feel “very hurt” and that the whole situation was “extremely unfair.”

“When we see the beautiful casino—which each of us expended our own hands, our own sweat to build—hosting a grand film festival, or the Asian Supermodel Contest, we actually have a feeling of pride. But, thinking of how some of us dedicated four months of our lives to that building, and have now been without work for eight months as we wait to be paid our legal wage, we feel very hurt,” the statement specified.

“We are simply asking for the same compensation received by the people who worked alongside us on the casino,” the statement read, adding that the workers merely wanted to be paid the minimum wage and overtime according to CNMI law as well as liquidated damages due to the delay of their wages and reimbursement for their recruitment fees.

A previous statement from the CNMI DOL specified that the calculations of the Chinese worker wages were derived from evidence gathered from their investigation. The offer was based off the CNMI minimum wage.