Teno: Exemptions satisfy moratorium law

The labor and immigration department has reviewed all hiring moratorium exemptions granted by the administration to ensure complete compliance with existing local labor laws, according to Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio.

Mr. Tenorio said the Department of Labor and Immigration reviews all exemption applications submitted to his office to identify which among the requests meet the requirements set by the hiring moratorium law.

He noted that most of the exemption applications need professional and skilled manpower which is currently not available from the existing local labor force.

The governor is confident his actions pertaining to the granting of exemptions were in full compliance with Public Law 11-6, citing the thorough review each application undergoes at the DOLI.

Labor officials make recommendations which exemption application meet the requirements stipulated under the freeze-hiring law and should, therefore, be granted.

Mr. Tenorio also stressed that he never failed to inform the Legislature of each exemption that he grants since the law was implemented. The measure requires the governor to notify the Legislature of the actions he take on each application.

Apparently agitated by a move from the House of Representatives to inquire whether he has violated the law, the CNMI chief executive said he would stop approving exemption applications if the Legislature wants to stop bringing in foreign workers to the islands.

“If they feel that they want to stop bringing in people, they have to amend the law and I will do it. Under the moratorium law, the administration is allowed to grant exemptions to companies that meet the requirements,” he added.

Mr. Tenorio also justified that the exemptions were needed to allow the private sector to grow through undisrupted operations by making sure that they have the right people to run their businesses.

“The business sector’s need for workers who are not available within the current labor pool in the Commonwealth should be accommodated for us to be able to have a sound economy,” he explained.

The governor pointed out that there is a need to meet the manpower demand of the private sector and that the CNMI needs guest workers on some areas or fields which the local labor pool could not fill.

A provision in the freeze-hiring policy grants businesses on Saipan that have poured in more than $5 million in total investments and Tinian and Rota businesses with over $200,000 in total capital to hire workers from outside the Commonwealth.