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Workers given more time to look for new employer
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Posted on Dec 28 2004
The Department of Labor has extended the date with which former employees of N.E.T. Corp. were required to secure new employers, according to administrative hearing officer Herbert Soll.
In a labor order, Soll said the 357 employees who were seeking permission to transfer were given 45 days from Nov. 15, 2004 to do so. However, that deadline was extended to Jan. 31, 2005
“Based upon clarification of the administrative order and in recognition that the affected employees have been limited in their ability to secure new employers, the date for N.E.T. employees who have not yet found transfer employers is extended to Jan. 31, 2005,” Soll said in the order.
In addition, Soll indicated that the former employees may transfer to an employer within or outside the garment industry.
“Upon closer review of the applicable statutes and regulations, it is determined that the 357 employees of N.E.T. Corp. dba Pacific Coast…may transfer to garment or non-garment employers,” he said.
Some of the N.E.T. Corp. workers had earlier decried the previous Labor Hearing Office’s instruction that disallows them from being hired by employers other than the garment industry.
One worker, Virgilio Gonzaga, said he has found a non-garment employer who is interested in hiring him, but was not able to transfer due to the restriction.
Earlier, the former employees complained that the 45 days given them to transfer to new employers did not assure them of getting their wage claims.
These employees include the 112 alien workers earlier reported to be owed $110,800 in back wages. As of last month, some of the back wages have been paid, while about $35,000 remains to be settled.
Labor Department officials assured the workers that they will be paid whether or not they are on island after the 45-day period.
Labor legal counsel, Kevin Lynch said that for several years now, the department has been remitting wage payments to nonresident workers who have returned to their country of origin or otherwise left the Commonwealth. He said the workers only need to leave their address and other contact details with the department before departing.
