Previous Story
Labor probing sponsorship cases
|
Posted on Apr 19 2006
Department of Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas yesterday disclosed that the department is currently investigating several sponsorship cases in the Commonwealth.
San Nicolas, in an interview with the Saipan Tribune, warned both employers and nonresident workers that they would be subjected to sanctions if found to be engaging in sponsorship schemes.
San Nicolas said the sanctions may include the imposition of hundreds of dollars in penalty fees and permanent prohibition from hiring guest workers or from employing anyone in the CNMI.
“I want to get the message out to the community regarding the sponsorship issue. There is no such thing as sponsorship,” he pointed out.
Under the sponsorship scheme, employers allow their names to be used to hire nonresident workers at the last minute in an effort to find them employers.
It is not necessarily a legitimate employment relationship, but a means with which to maintain the workers’ legal status, said the secretary, adding that such arrangement is prohibited by law.
“We have been finding a lot of such cases, investigating a lot of cases regarding sponsorship issue. I just want to inform the general public again that sponsorship does not exist. …It’s as simple as that,” he said.
San Nicolas said alien workers should find legitimate employers to work for, who have jobs for them and can pay proper wages, but not to use individuals or employers just to maintain their legal status.
“We’re seeing a lot of these cases. We’re receiving a lot of complaints by employees that they come to Saipan and they haven’t met their employers until now. They don’t know who their employers are,” he said.
Labor’s investigations so far reveal that these employees are just paying certain individuals to use their names so they can come to the Commonwealth and maintain legal status, San Nicolas said.
Labor records indicate that majority of those engaging in sponsorship activities are Filipinos and Chinese nationals.
