Lawmakers question Labor exec’s anti-worker bias

In a letter to the CNMI Department of Labor released Friday, Reps. Tina Sablan (I-Saipan) and Edward Salas (R-Saipan) point to a host of recent statements by Deputy Labor Secretary Cinta Kaipat that they say suggest a strong bias against foreign workers exists within the department.

The letter, sent to Labor Secretary Gil San Nicolas, addresses a host of issues related to the department’s regulation of the CNMI’s workforce, airing concerns over whether its procedures abide by due process rules, the status of foreign workers whose children have disabilities and problems linked to unpaid administrative orders, among other topics.

Key among those concerns are the contents of an April memorandum Kaipat penned and a letter she sent to the editor of the Saipan Tribune that the House lawmakers say “indicate a strong prevailing bias against foreign national workers.”

Kaipat in the April 28 memorandum, Salas and Sablan note in the letter, suggested that foreign workers often lie about their employment to remain in the CNMI and engage in fraud.

“Just because a person has not been apprehended in such a fraud does not mean that this person has added anything to the community,” Kaipat wrote.

In addition, the lawmakers point to a May 26 letter Kaipat sent to the Tribune that posits foreign workers can sometimes get away with lying to Labor officials because their claims are often uncontested.

“As you know, workers and their advocates understand that if an employer does not show up, there will be no one to contest their claims and they can make almost any untrue assertion without fear of contradiction,” Kaipat’s letter said.

Salas and Sablan in their letter to Labor ask San Nicolas to clarify whether Kaipat’s comments represent the department’s official position. Moreover, they ask the department to answer whether Kaipat’s views on foreign workers impact her ability to do her job and ask for a detailed description of her duties.

“The deputy secretary’s statements imply that foreign national workers are generally and as a matter of course presumed guilty of fraud until proven innocent,” the lawmakers’ letter says. “Assuming that the sentiments of [Kaipat] reflect the official views of the department, we are concerned that such obvious bias may seriously affect the ability of the department to fairly and impartially adjudicate labor cases and respect the due process rights of all workers.”

Kaipat could not be reached for comment on the letter at press time after several attempts to contact her proved unsuccessful.

The lawmakers’ letter asks Labor to respond within 10 days.