Fair Wage Act tossed back to Legislature • Sec. Zachares says Chamber barking up the wrong tree

Rejecting claims of differences with the private sector over its regulations, the Department of Labor and Immigration yesterday tossed the pressing issues to the Legislature which must amend questionable provisions of the existing laws.

DOLI Sec. Mark Zachares said legislators must deal with the concerns raised by the Saipan Chamber of Commerce against some government policies since they are responsible for passing laws that may not be suitable to doing business in the Northern Marianas.

“If they do have problems with the law that instead of running after the executive branch, they should probably address their concerns to the legislative branch,” he told reporters.

Zachares and other department officials were summoned to a meeting yesterday at the Capitol Hill between the government and members of the Chamber regarding problems facing businesses, including issues against DOLI.

But he stressed the discussion only focused on the Resident Workers Fair Compensation Act and its implementing guidelines which are still being reviewed by the Attorney General’s Office.

DOLI will promulgate the rules and regulations as soon as the business community and the government have reached a consensus on how to carry out the recently-signed law.

The department has come under fire in recent weeks over accusations by business owners of inefficiency, slow, prejudiced and bureaucratic procedures that companies have to deal with when processing documents or when meeting various DOLI requirements.

When asked if there was any agreement reached with the Chamber on these issues, Zachares said “I don’t know if I had to make up with anyone” in an apparent brush-off of the alleged dispute.

Brokered by the chair of the House Commerce and Tourism Committee, the three-hour meeting was supposed to tackle the differences between DOLI and the Chamber on some regulations being implemented by the department.

Rep. Oscar M. Babauta, who earlier was dismayed over Zachares’ failure to show up at a recent Chamber meeting, expressed satisfaction over the results of the dialogue.

“I am very happy with it,” he said after the meeting. “There is at least a meeting of the mind between DOLI and the Chamber who agreed to follow up discussion on related issues.”

The representative promised to assist the private sector in making changes to the policy which provides locals earning less than the U.S. prevailing minimum wage of $5.15 the same benefits granted to guest workers, like subsidized food and housing, transportation and medical insurance, either in cash or in-kind.

“If it’s necessary to amend, the Legislature is committed to pursue it with expediency,” Babauta said.

Zachares added: “We maintain from the beginning that you give us the law, we will enforce the law and that’s what we are doing now.”