16 Turkish workers leave; 11 remain

Rep. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan), her husband Franklin R. Babauta, Rep. Tina Sablan Rep. Celina R. Babauta, and lawyer Richard Miller pose in a group photo with Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC’s Turkish workers during a barbecue farewell dinner held at IPI’s housing in Chalan Laulau Sunday night. Sixteen Turkish workers left Saipan yesterday for home, while 11 others remain here. (FERDIE DE LA TORRE)

Sixteen Turkish nationals who are former workers of Imperial Pacific International (CNMI) LLC, whose H-2B visas have already expired, left the CNMI yesterday to reunite with their families back home.

Eleven other former IPI workers who are also Turkish will be leaving later because they don’t have plane tickets yet and their H-2B visas will not expire until Feb. 19., said Rep. Celina R. Babauta (D-Saipan) Sunday night.

Babauta said that IPI made a partial payment of their salaries but, according to them, they’re still owed five more months’ worth of pay.

“They’re happy to be back with their families [but] one of them said, you know, the people of the CNMI have been so good to them. They want to return someday with a better employer, better job,’” said Babauta in the interview during the sendoff barbecue get-together hosted by fellow Turkish workers at IPI’s housing in Chalan Laulau.

Babauta attended the get-together with her husband, former representative Franklin R. Babauta. Also at the event were Reps. Tina Sablan (D-Saipan) and Edwin K. Propst (D-Saipan); Propst had already left when Saipan Tribune arrived at the event.

Richard Miller, who is the lawyer for some of the Turkish workers that sued IPI, was also there.

Rep. Celina Babauta said the Turkish workers don’t want to work for IPI anymore, but that they liked the camaraderie they built with the local community in the past several months.

“They want to come back, they said it’s beautiful here,” Babauta said.

She said it was the Turkish workers who invited them to join the get-together, which someone in the local community had sponsored.

Miller said the Turkish workers have been on Saipan since January 2020. “They got here the first week of January last year. Maybe somebody came like Dec.30 [in 2019],” Miller said.

One of the workers, Hasan Gokce, 41, said their group was in charge of building the hotel tower of IPI’s Imperial Palace Resort in Garapan. He said IPI paid him several paychecks but the total was only $1,200 because he was made to work fewer hours.

With all the expenses he incurred after being jobless in the CNMI for many months, he will be going home with only $350, Gokce said.

In a Facebook post Sunday night, Sablan said these 16 workers who are going home will soon be reunited with their families but they are still owed money. “They still hope for justice,” she said.

She said that, although these workers have been through such a terrible ordeal here, they also tell her they are leaving Saipan with fond memories—of the kindness they were shown, the people who helped them, and the beauty of the island. “It was nice to see them smiling and happy tonight. They cooked up some incredible Turkish dishes. Some of the men told me they love to cook. And tonight I learned some of them love to dance, too,” Sablan said.

Another Turkish worker toured Saipan Tribune around their housing and showed his room, which was clean but just enough for one person. It had one bed and the air-conditioner was working. There are a couple of common bathrooms and water supply.

The worker, who was among those who left yesterday, said they did not have power for two months.

He said he has only $250 to bring home because he already sent some of his money to his family.
It takes four days to get to Turkey from Saipan.