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Chamber, DOLI told to patch up
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Posted on May 18 1999
The chair of the House Commerce and Tourism Committee yesterday expressed hope of a possible resolution to the ongoing dispute between the Department of Labor and Immigration and business sector over some requirements imposed by the government.
Rep. Oscar M. Babauta, along with Gov. Pedro P. Tenorio, is mediating a meeting between DOLI officials and members of the Saipan Chamber of Commerce to try to work out a compromise on their differences.
“I’m hoping that the meeting will open the communication line between the two parties,” he said in an interview.
The discussion is expected to tackle complaints from the Chamber against the labor and immigration department, noting the inefficient, slow, prejudiced and bureaucratic procedures that companies have to deal with when processing documents or when meeting various DOLI requirements.
According to Babauta, his office also receives numerous calls complaining about the way they are treated by labor and immigration employees conducting transaction at the department.
“We need to sit down and reassess all these issues,” the representative explained, adding he hopes the meeting will signal a “positive approach, rather than confrontational” to resolve the dispute.
Earlier, Babauta has underscored the need to seek solutions to these problems which have continued to exist despite attempts by the Legislature to ease the procedures at the department.
He said the government must assist businesses on the island because they contribute to government resources through taxes they pay, calling for a constant dialogue with the private sector to jointly address issues confronting the Commonwealth.
While the meeting will assist the committee on what steps they have to take to deal with the situation, Babauta has not ruled out a public hearing on DOLI to help gather inputs from residents.
“We cannot just sit back anymore when these people, who invested so much of their money here, complain about government service. It is essential that we strive hard to keep them in the CNMI because without their investments, we will not have revenues to pay our salaries,” he said.
