Chamber wants Another task force to study local labor situation urged

The Saipan Chamber of Commerce wants another task force set up by the CNMI government, this time, to study the actual local labor situation in the Northern Marianas.

Early this week, the Senate vowed to pass a law that would suspend for two years Public Law 11-69 pending the findings of a task force study to find out its impact in the economy and community.

Senate President Paul A. Manglona said he would convene a session next week to specifically take the proposed measure on a higher ground.

Chamber President Anthony Pellegrino said businessmen could live with the passage of Senate Bill 12-108. “It may be a compromise, but at least it takes the pressure off and urgency of the three year limit law while giving us time to rethink the whole situation,” he said.

However, the chamber president said the task force to study PL 11-69’s impact may not be enough. Mr. Pellegrino urged the government instead to set up a second task force which would submit a comprehensive study on the actual labor situation on the islands.

Essentially, he noted, the study would come in the form of a census that would try to find out how many residents, if given an opportunity to get a job, would take it.

He was also puzzled by the banking industry’s employee turnover rate even though it already pays top dollar. CNMI banks pay about $7 to $8 an hour but still have a 45 to 50 percent employee turnover rate, Mr. Pellegrino said

The task force must also field questions such as the qualifications, competency, skill level and education of the local population who are unemployed but are willing to work.

He also said the issue of compensation and salary expectations should also be included in the study.

The task force must also ask employers what the local labor force is like. “Why do employers still prefer nonresident workers? Is it because he’s more intelligent, dedicated? Or is it because he’s more willing to learn, is punctual and does the job he is supposed to do?,” Mr. Pellegrino asked. “These questions and answers to them have never been documented before.”

Finally, Mr. Pellegrino suggested the task force be composed equally by members of the public and private sectors. His short list included representatives of private entities like the Saipan Chamber of Commerce, Hotel Association of the Northern Mariana Islands, Construction Association, and small business.

Government, for its part, the chamber president said, should be composed of representatives from the Senate, House of Representatives, Department of Commerce, Department of Labor and the Northern Marianas College.

“We have heard all about these ghost stories about the local labor force. But there is yet to come out a documented study on the actual local labor work force,” he said.