IPI’s 105 Mongolian workers to leave on May 1

A file photo of the Imperial Pacific Resort/Casino in western Garapan. The casino has been closed since March 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Approximately 105 Mongolian construction workers of the Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC are scheduled to leave the CNMI this Saturday, May 1, according to IPI Human Resources director Redie Dela Cruz.

At the Commonwealth Casino Commission board’s monthly meeting last Thursday, Dela Cruz, who joined the meeting through Zoom, also disclosed that they are now finalizing a payment plan to pay severance benefits to those foreign workers who had already left the CNMI.

IPI said no construction work at the Imperial Pacific Resort project in Garapan is ongoing because of the U.S. District Court for the NMI’s work stoppage order.

In response to CCC commissioner Rafael Demapan’s question about the status of the remaining IPI’s foreign workers, Dela Cruz said 105 employees from the Mongolian team remained on island.

The HR director said these Mongolian workers, who entered the CNMI with H2-B work visas, are confirmed leaving the CNMI this Saturday through Asiana Airlines.

“The tickets have been purchased,” she said.

Dela Cruz said there are a few teams that have some individuals remain on island such as about 11 Taiwanese and some Turkish.

She said she does not know what the approximate number of Turkish.

The director said the Taiwanese refused to leave and that she does not know the situation of the Turkish.

On status of employees’ payroll, Dela Cruz said they are talking about active employees who are working during IPI’s closure and that IPI is up to date with this payroll distribution.

“There are some exception in that there were some hours that are being audited,” she said, adding that the audit is going through a final review.

The director said once a decision is made, then most likely those hours will get paid out if not the following day, last Friday, or in the next payout.

On the status of the unpaid severance pay for employees who are separated or off island, Dela Cruz said she is going to break this down into several segments.

“We’re going to talk about separated employees, we’re going to talk about the benefits payout,” she said.

Dela Cruz said the benefits payout will include severance if it’s applicable pursuant to the employment contracts.

“The paid time off, unused hours, and reimbursements such as outbound subsistence, airfare, and relocation costs, if it’s applicable pursuant to the employment contracts,” she said.

The director said she will report that as of July 2020, IPI has not been able to pay out those benefits to separated employees due to lack of funding.

She said because the casino is closed as of March 2020, they have not generated any income and so funding is very limited.

As to board chair Edward C. DeLeon Guerrero’s question as to when IPI will be able to make those payments, Dela Cruz said they are working on a plan for IPI to start making small installment payments.

“We won’t be able to pay out everything at one time. So we have to come up with a plan to break it down to pay it in installments, little by little whatever we can,” she said.

The director said the plan is currently being written for the IPI board’s consideration.

Dela Cruz said the plan is tied in with IPI’s request submitted to Gov. Ralph DLG Torres for a five-year extension on payments issue, as well as tied with the U.S. Labor’s lawsuit matter.

She said they are now finalizing the proposed payment plan to include with the five-year extension request.

The director said once the proposed payment plan is given a green light from the IPI board, she will share that to CCC.

“I just don’t know what the timeframe will be at this point,” she added.