Chamber, DOLI meet but no diatribe

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce yesterday expressed optimism that the concerns raised by its members in connection with the implementation of The Resident Workers Fair Compensation Act will be taken into consideration by the CNMI government.

Chamber officers met with Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, Labor Secretary Mark Zachares, key leaders of the legislature and the Attorney General’s Office for three hours during which they discussed the proposed amendments to the implementing rules and regulations of Public Law 11-74. The meeting was arranged by Rep. Oscar Babauta, chair of the House Committee on Commerce and Tourism.

However, during the consultation meeting there was no mention of the complaints made by the Chamber members on the Department of Labor and Immigration which include inefficiency, incompetence, and prejudice.

According to Kerry M. Deets, president of the Chamber, the business sector had sought clarification on the law to avoid confusion when it is implemented since it is subject to various interpretations.

“It was a very productive meeting because we were able to get clarification on the interpretation of the law,” said Deets. She added that the Chamber will sit down with DOLI in another consultation to clarify the problems enumerated by the business sector.

She said a public hearing may no longer be necessary since the DOLI and the Attorney General’s Office have agreed to incorporate the proposed amendments.

Deets clarified that the Chamber is in favor of implementing the law but it wants to make sure that the loopholes in the rules and regulations are solved first.

PL 11-74, which was signed by the governor last month, provided that local residents earning less than an hourly wage of $5.15 to receive all benefits extended to foreign workers as mandated by existing laws.

In an earlier interview, assistant attorney general Nancy Gottfried said the comment period on the rules and regulations, which ends today, will be extended for two more weeks to give the public more time to submit the necessary changes.

The AGO noted that the proposed amendments submitted by the Chamber and the Hotel Association of Northern Mariana Islands are valid, thus, they will definitely be incorporated.