Monday, February 02, 2009
Local
Monday, February 02, 2009

DUE TO CLOSURE OF GARMENT FACTORIES
DOL sees downward trend in labor cases

By Ferdie de la Torre
Reporter

The Department Of Labor has observed a downward trend in the number of labor cases, filed primarily due to the closure of the garment factories.

Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas, in Labor's 2008 annual report to the Legislature, said that only 253 labor cases were filed in 2008 as compared to 812 in 2004.

San Nicolas said that, in 2005 there were 420 labor cases, then the number went down to 358 in 2006, and further decreased in 2007 with only 392 cases filed.

The trend in labor cases was among the many labor issues discussed by San Nicolas and Labor Deputy Secretary Cinta M. Kaipat in the annual report forwarded to the Legislature last Friday.

With respect to the number of labor hearings, the secretary said the trend in 2008 was also downward primarily due to the success of Labor's mediating cases.

The trend in claims, San Nicolas said, was toward unpaid wages and away from the claims of no job provided, poor working conditions, and lack of effective supervision.

“During the period 2006-2007, only four claims involved injuries on the job and only two claims alleged unwanted physical contact,” he said.

In 2008, San Nicolas said, there were no claims that involved either injuries on the job or unwanted physical contact.

On the number of alien workers legally present in the CNMI, the secretary said as of Dec. 31, 2008, Labor had issued 22,917 work permits during the year in the foreign worker immigration category.

He explained that Labor only counts its administrative operations; it does not conduct any census of alien workers actually present in the CNMI.

San Nicolas said the number of permits issued is greater than the number of workers present in the Commonwealth at any given point in a typical year because some permit actions are contract amendments or extensions and affect a single worker and some permit holders elect to leave the Commonwealth during the year for personal or employments reasons.

He said some employers also implement reductions in force and cancel their “issued” permits for some of their workers, while other employers close their businesses entirely and their “issued” permits are cancelled by Labor.

The secretary said there also 37 additional foreign workers who do not hold work permits but who hold temporary work authorizations.

He said there are 70 alien workers who do not hold work permits, but hold memoranda authorizing them to seek work while their labor cases are pending.