HANMI opposes new labor regs

Members of the Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands have expressed opposition to the new NMI labor regulations that would allow the estimated 31,000 nonresident workers in the Commonwealth to take on multiple jobs.

In a press statement, HANMI said the amendments to the 16-year-old Alien Labor Regulations would create chaos to a department whose employees are already up to their ears with backlogs.

“Dealing with the enormous workload the CNMI labor employees already have is the issue that needs to be addressed. He said the department should be given the budget necessary to carry out its mandate,” HANMI chairman Ronald Sablan said.

The government had said it would delay implementation of the new regulations to give the department more time to put a system in place that would ensure a smooth transition.

But Sablan said the smooth transition is “easier said than done when you have a very impractical and unrealistic task on hand.”

Sablan also said that the new regulations would limit the opportunity for resident workers to find jobs, and defeat the purpose of hiring preferences especially with the present economic condition. “The government should emphasize on higher education and blue-collar (skilled) job training for our local workforce to be competitive in today’s employment environment. The regulations are totally the opposite of this spirit,” he said.

Sablan said the new regulations were a result of an out-of-court settlement and not a court order issue, referring to the federal lawsuit filed by Filipino guest worker Bonifacio Sagana, who was represented by lawyer Joe Hill some three years back before U.S. District Court Chief Judge Alex R. Munson.

Munson had consented to a settlement agreement.

In his complaint, Sagana claimed NMI labor laws was violating guest workers’ rights, including that on equal protection, by disallowing them to hold more than one job.

Other HANMI members have also expressed dissatisfaction with the new regulations.

Vicente Camacho, Summer Holiday Hotel general manager, said the new regulations “just cannot work.”

“As I have said in the public hearing, I am totally opposed to such a crazy idea. It just cannot work. Loyalty and job performance in addition to issues, such as housing, medical, worker’s compensation are issues that complicate matters,” said Camacho.

He added that employers who turned down their guest workers’ requests to be employed with another company could face productivity problems.

“If you do not agree to give consent for your employee to seek another job, his performance at his primary employment goes down,” said Camacho.

Lynn Knight, Century Hotel general manager, said the new regulations “would take potential jobs away from local residents.” She said the original employer would continue to incur all the costs and responsibility for the foreign employee, while the second employer would benefit without any such obligations.

“This will cause an un-level playing field among businesses and greater instability in the employment market. It is likely to cause some abuses and disputes,” she said.

Sablan pointed out that these constant changes in the statutes, rules and regulations and policies and procedures are sending a message to potential investors that the CNMI has “an unstable investment climate, thereby reducing local efforts to boost the economy.”

HANMI is the largest investment group in the CNMI and a professional organization comprised of the majority of the hotels on Saipan. It is also supported by active allied members from all sectors of the business community. (PR)