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DOLI chief bares plans
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Posted on May 02 2002
Labor and Immigration Secretary Joaquin Tenorio yesterday vowed to address labor concerns, in light of complaints filed by CNMI workers.
Tenorio, who was the guest speaker at the Saipan Chamber of Commerce General Membership meeting yesterday at the Dai-Ichi Hotel said, there is disparity between local residents and nonresident workers considering the total number of foreigners employed in the CNMI.
Based on records, Tenorio said there are 35,300 workers in the CNMI; 16, 000 of whom are Chinese and 13,000 are Filipinos.
“What if the United States starts to take over our immigration? What will happen? It is the responsibility of the department to take care of that,” he said.
Tenorio also said that there is regular discussion at the DOLI office a number of complaints filed by jobseekers and arguments on allegations that some officials are accepting money.
He said that aside from everyday concerns, he has been seriously studying several labor laws, regulations, policies and statutes that should be complied with by both the workers and their employers.
“Take alone the Non-Resident Workers Act. There are six statutes that explain this. There are so many laws and I am still trying to catch and run with it,” he said.
The DOLI secretary said the department currently is working on determining the number of undocumented aliens and workers seeking temporary work applications.
