New garment bill in the works

A new legislation seeking to limit the number of foreign workers employed in the garment industry is expected to be introduced in the Senate while a pending bill heads into potential strong objection by CNMI leaders.

Senate Floor leader Pete P. Reyes said he would sponsor the new bill that will incorporate the concerns of Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio over what some fear as additional hiring of 600 nonresident workers for the garment sector.

Under review by the Senate, House Bill 11-315 has drawn opposition from House Speaker Diego T. Benavente who is lobbying senators against passing the legislation he considers counterproductive to local immigration and labor reforms.

“The governor is concerned that there seems to be an increase (in the number of garment workers) even if it’s not true,” Reyes said in an interview.

Members of the Senate met late Wednesday with Tenorio to discuss among other things the proposal to impose a cap of 15,727 in the size of foreign garment workers on the island.

Throwing his support behind HB 11-315, Reyes said he would draft a similar bill, but will include provisions addressing concerns by the administration.

The revision will focus on four garment factories which have been prohibited from hiring workers despite getting their license from the government.

“We will show that it’s only 610 employees and not 1,000 or 2,000 as claimed by others. We will not venture into other quota for other factories,” Reyes said.

It will also include provisions of increase in the work force of the industry when it absorbs those overstaying nonresident workers seeking the limited immunity program of the CNMI government.

“By allowing the factories to tap into the available labor pool opened by the amnesty, a law will have to allow them to increase its size so long as the additional workers are those from seeking immunity,” the senator added.

The Senate postponed its scheduled session yesterday pending the amendment to HB 11-315 which passed the House despite Benavente’s attempt to vote down the measure.

The House speaker urged against passage of the legislation, warning of devastating effect on the relations between CNMI and Washington. Federal officials have accused island leaders of failure to curb the influx of mostly Asian workers into the commonwealth.

While Reyes has lashed out at local leaders bowing to U.S. pressure at a time of worsening economic crisis here, he said he agreed to draw up another legislation to show that there is no actual increase in the size of garment workers.

House members earlier have underscored the need to maintain the presence of garment industry in the CNMI in the wake of continuous downturn of the tourism sector, the backbone of the local economy.