Previous Story
Work permit as souvenir?
|
Posted on Feb 24 2006
Q: Do alien workers have the right to reject the barracks offered by their employers?
A: Yes. Nonresident workers are not obligated to accept housing provided by their employers. The workers may choose to arrange their own housing, including living with friends and relatives.
* * *
Q: If an alien worker is leaving the CNMI for good, can he or she keep his or her work permit as some kind of “souvenir”?
A: No. Guest workers should surrender their work permit to their employers when they are leaving the Commonwealth permanently. The workers should also surrender the permit to the employers when their contracts are being renewed.
* * *
Q: Are employers required to provide alien workers with transportation to and from the office?
A: Unless otherwise agreed to in the employment contract, the employers are required to provide the workers with transportation to and from the work site. The employers are required to pay the cost of return transportation to the country the workers are hired from and cannot deduct the cost from the wages. Neither can the employers deduct from the wages the cost of transportation to the CNMI from the country the workers are hired from.
Submit questions on labor issues to Saipan Tribune via e-mail at editor@saipantribune.com, or by calling 235-6397, 235-2440, or 235-8747 and leaving a message at Ext. 133. You may also submit questions in person by writing it down and dropping it off at the Saipan Tribune’s office on the second floor of the Century Insurance Building on Beach Road, Garapan.
