Bill provides compensation, repatriation costs for workers

An administration-sponsored legislation will seek compensation of up to $3,000 in unpaid wages and repatriation cost for foreign workers with pending monetary awards against their bankrupt employers following an agreement between the CNMI and U.S. legislators.

The House of the Representatives and the Senate held a back-to-back emergency session on Friday to vote on the measure in a move they said was recommended by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and members of the House Resources Committee who visited the CNMI last week.

“We were reminded that there is still a situation and we wanted to show our cooperation with this delegation,” said House Speaker Diego T. Benavente, author of the bill.

“If this delegation feels that there is an issue that needs to be resolved, we want them to show that we can do that,” he added.

The move stemmed from a meeting between Young’s delegation and a group of Filipino, Chinese and Bangladeshi workers last Thursday who aired their grievances on their current plight that came about after their initial employers abandoned them with still unpaid back wages.

While they have been granted administrative awards, they have yet to collect the compensation and most of them have no means to support themselves while awaiting the money.

But under the bill, which now heads to the governor for signing, they will be given compensation equivalent to a three-month salary and air fare back to their country of origin, or about $3,000 each worker, which ever is greater.

The Department of Labor and Immigration will be empowered to tap the deportation fund collected from nonresident workers’ fees, while the governor will have reprogramming authority should there be a shortage of funds availability.

But the government will still pursue to collect the amount from these unscrupulous companies to reimburse them the cost of paying these workers out of public funds.

According to Benavente, many of the displaced workers have expressed willingness to be repatriated once they have collected the money due them.

“The (Young’s) delegation met with the individuals who felt that if they were given what is due to them by the bond companies, that is three months salary and repatriation,… that they would rather take that at this time and go back home,” he said.

“If that is the case then this government has certain obligation to accommodate that so what we are trying to do is allow the governor to use some of the deportation funds to guarantee a minimum three month payment of salary to these individuals,” Benavente added.

But some legislators cautioned the government against the move in view of the tight financial situation of the commonwealth as a result of the worsening economic crisis here.

“We are assisting those who are not helping us at all,” said Rep. Rosiky Camacho during the brief House session attended by only 13 members out of 18. ” We have to be careful.”

Senate Floor leader Pete P. Reyes expressed worry on the “blanket authority” given to DOLI in carrying out the proposed law which will involve “tremendous” amount of money.

“I hope that we will get rid of the problem and we will be mindful of the responsibility to safeguard the coffers,” he said at the Senate session attended by six out of nine members.

While members underscored the importance of the proposal, Sen. David Cing, however, said it should have been passed long time ago by the legislature and should not have waited for Young’s visit to do it.