Many alien workers seeking new employers

Since early part of this year the Department of Labor administrative hearing office has been receiving a lot of applications from alien workers who are seeking transfer to new employers.

Labor administrative hearing officer Jerry Cody told Saipan Tribune they have received many transfer applications since the department started a new system for transfers in the early part of this year.

Under the new system, a transfer to a new employer may be made only by an administrative order issued by a Labor hearing officer.

“Other than this week—I don’t know why this week is a little lower—but we have had upwards of 70 applications a week to transfer,” Cody said.

He said the closure of garment factories contributed to the increased number of people looking for new employers. Factory workers who want to stay on island are invited to register with Labor’s employment services.

“Those workers who don’t want to be repatriated, who want to try to find an employer, certainly they are going enter the system. So all these garment closures have resulted in hundreds of people looking for work,” Cody said.

He added, though, that many other workers and not just from the garment industry “seem to be looking for work.”

“You have 20,000 foreign national workers. And their permits expire at various points. And if they are not renewed that’s when they go into this system where they register in the employment services,” Cody said.

With respect to workers who still have jobs but want to transfer to new employers, the hearing officer said the old consensual transfer system is void or no longer in operation.

“What we called consensual transfers are not done at the department anymore. So that procedure of having a releasing employer and the accepting employer signing a declaration …all those forms are no longer used. That system was eliminated in the new law …in the Employment Act of 2007,” he said.

But Cody emphasized that his understanding is that employers and employees can consult with the Labor director or the director’s representative.

He said these are in cases where the worker has found a new employment during the term and wants to move and the existing employer doesn’t have an objection to that.

“My understanding is that they can ask for a conference with the department,” the hearing officer added.