Chamber says only Deets had a change of heart

In a move to clarify the position of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, the board of directors adopted a resolution which reaffirmed its strong opposition to the three-year residency limit on the stay of non-resident workers in the CNMI.

The resolution was issued after Chamber president Kerry M. Deets was quoted in the media as saying she now favors the imposition of the restriction on the stay of guest workers because it is the only way to stave off federalization of minimum wage and immigration.

According to the board of directors, Deets aired her views to the media as member of the CNMI 902 panel and not as Chamber president.

Deets had earlier urged Chamber members to reexamine their position so that they can help the CNMI government in making a decision on whether they would allow the Northern Marianas to be dependent on non-resident workers for a long time.

If the Northern Marianas businessmen insist on taking the short-term view of the problem, she said they might not get any support when they present their case in the U.S. Congress.

Although the measure was already passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives, Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio seemed not interested in signing the bill which was criticized by businessmen because it would result in the closure of their establishments.

With the change in Deets’ position, various groups such as the Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands and the CNMI Contractors Association still maintained that the local workforce is not enough to fill in all the vacancies in the private sector.

HANMI said the three-year limit bill is impractical and would be disastrous to the hotel industry which greatly depend on foreign workers. Former Chamber president Joe Ayuyu said limiting the stay of non-resident workers is not the issue but the willingness of the local people to work and their perseverance to stay in one job for a period of time.

Construction cost in the CNMI will increase by 30 percent if the federal laws on labor and immigration will be imposed, the Contractors Association said. It added that the Northern Marianas will be dependent on foreign workers for a long time because the young people here lack the necessary skills and experience as well as the motivation to seek the necessary training in the construction industry.

Based on the 1995 CNMI Census, the Northern Marianas would not be able to fill the island’s labor requirement for the hotel industry alone until the year 2042.

Bob Jones, chairman of the Free Trade Zone Committee said prospective investors may still be attracted to establish their businesses in the CNMI despite the increase in minimum wage but they will not be able to survive any control in the entry of skilled labor with the federalization of immigration.

The 902 negotiations held last month bogged down after the federal government and the CNMI panel failed to reconcile their differences in addressing problems concerning local labor and immigration policies.