By Moneth G. Deposa
Variety News Staff

THE part-owner of We Manage Call Inc., the CNMI’s first call center operator, yesterday explained that whether or not their business opens now depends on the wage rate set by federal wage legislation that is expected to include the commonwealth.
Erick Van Der Maas, in a telephone interview yesterday, said that although the renovations and transfer of equipment is 70 percent complete, the call center will not open until they have seen the federal wage hike measure to be passed by the U.S. Congress.
The call center has already twice delayed its scheduled opening owing to “telecommunication and technical issues.”
“We are committed to doing business here,” Van Der Maas said, “but we need to wait for the federal wage (measure to) know what the numbers and rates are. Until that is established, commencement of the business will have to wait.”
He added, “We can only afford a $4.5 to $5.5 per hour rate at the call center and beyond that number, the decision will have to be made by my partner in the U.S. as 90 percent of our clientele are from there.”
He said if the wage rate reaches $7 to $8.5 “then I don’t think our business is competitive in the CNMI.”
The local wage rate has been $3.05 an hour since 1996.
“Our equipment is almost all here and it cost a lot to transfer it from the U.S.,” he said.
The call center, which was supposed to start operations last month, is housed at the Nauru Building in Susupe which is undergoing renovations.
The pending wage hike measure in the U.S. Senate will increase the federal rate from $5.15 an hour to $7.25 in two years.
The bill will also apply to the CNMI.