Permits of 37 garment workers revoked

Over 20 alien workers of Rifu Apparel went to the Labor Ombudsman’s Office yesterday upon learning that their work permits had been revoked after the factory shut down operations on Feb. 6.

The workers proceeded to the Labor Ombudsman’s Office in Puerto Rico shortly after Jerry Cody, Labor’s administrative hearing officer, conducted a hearing yesterday morning about Rifu’s closure and to wrap up lose ends relating to wages possibly owed the workers.

Cody instructed the workers to return next Friday to get a copy of the administrative order that he is expected to issue on that day.

Last Feb. 9, Labor director Barry Hirsbein opened a compliance agency case after finding that Rifu had ceased its garment manufacturing operations on Feb. 6. The case was intended to arrange for the orderly transfer of all affected alien workers who hold valid work permits.

That same day, Feb. 9, Labor administrative hearing officer Herbert Soll revoked the work permits of the 37 alien workers, effective on the day of the closure.

Soll granted each worker relief to transfer to other employers. He required the workers interested in seeking new employers to register with Labor’s Employment Services no later than Feb. 26.

Saipan Tribune learned that over 30 Rifu employees, mostly Chinese, attended yesterday’s hearing at Labor. After the hearing, over 20 of them proceeded to the Ombudsman’s Office at 11am. The workers finished talking with the Ombudsman’s Office at 2:45pm. They did not eat lunch and consumed only bottled water.

One worker told Saipan Tribune that they went to the Ombudsman’s Office because they did not understand what was happening at Labor as there was no interpreter. Saipan Tribune checked with Labor yesterday and found out that there was indeed an interpreter during the proceedings.

The worker said that Rifu’s general manager, Kidong Choi, had informed Labor on Nov. 19, 2008, that apparently due to a delay in the confirmation of orders from buyers, there would be no production activities at the San Vicente factory starting that week until the first week of March 2009. However, the worker said, Choi told Labor that workers should continue reporting to the factory as they will still be paid.

Showing a document, the worker said the management’s last payment to the workers was on Dec. 6.

“Labor gave us a chance to transfer. But where is our money? First we were told it was only a temporary closure; now it’s permanent closure. That’s why we think it is unfair,” she said.

Another worker said they have not received their salaries for two months now.

“It’s very hard. My husband already went to China because there’s no job. But I’m six months pregnant and have to undergo monthly checkups in the hospital,” the worker said.

Office of Insular Affairs field representative Jeffrey Schorr, who was seen by Saipan Tribune listening to the workers, said he just visited the Ombudsman’s Office to find out what’s going on.

“My understanding is that this is just a follow up on the hearing that the case workers are handling. As I heard, they’re going to be following up for the workers on an order that’s coming out next week and they are going to get back together and explain things,” said Schorr. “My understanding is that they did not understand what was going on. And most of the questions that are being translated were for clarification purposes. We have to find out what the problem is first.”

Schorr has been keeping an eye of the Ombudsman’s Office as no one has been designated federal ombudsman since the resignation of James Benedetto last year.