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Labor holds 132 hearings in five months
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Posted on Jun 16 2005
The Department of Labor Hearing Office conducted 132 hearings from January to May 2005, of which 118 were appeals of employment application denials.
Untimely filing and incomplete documents are some of the most common reasons the Division of Labor denies permit applications.
Labor Secretary Joaquin Tenorio also reported that 181 administrative orders were issued since the beginning of 2005 until the end of last month.
These orders issued monetary awards of $29,107 and fines in the amount of $23,190, Tenorio said.
He added that, as a result of the hearings, 55 workers were allowed to seek new employers; seven workers were ordered to depart the CNMI; and three employers were barred from employer nonresident workers until sanctions are paid.
In addition, the Hearing Office mediated 161 cases, of which 37 were settled in mediation and about 102 were referred for investigation.
Tenorio said that, of all the cases mediated, five workers agreed to resume employment with their employers. Settlement amounts total $30,154.
Further, Tenorio reported that a task force consisting of senior Labor investigators had been formed to address old cases. “This task force is assigned the responsibility of identifying, investigating, determining what further action, if any, is necessary for resolution and closure,” he said.
The Department of Labor received a total of 179 complaints from January to May 2005. About half, or 88 of the complaints were filed by workers employed in the garment industry.
