If you have seen things that have occurred over the past several days you wouldn’t believe the kinds of things that happen here with regard to guest workers seeking to recover the money that is owed to them.
There are many things that need to change and unless they do and the changes that occur are done properly, we are going to have a man-made disaster on our hands when the main part of the construction for the military buildup happens.
My impression of the local authorities is that they can talk the talk but can’t walk the walk. On occasion officials will seem like they care for the jobs they are responsible for but they lack the intelligence and foresight to do their jobs properly.
We are lacking the staff and the desire to get things done when all a guy wants is to get paid and he is railroaded off the island because their employer is worried about his reputation. Seldom do we have the staff employees who care for the rights of workers and justice for those who are abused.
When an H2 worker’s employment begins on Guam, no matter what he does, he may expect to experience hell if he ever says anything about the conditions of his work and pay. All too often many of them will merely shut up because many can never expect justice in a place like Guam where the only name of reference to them is that they are from the source of cheap labor the Philippines. The message being sent out to all potential employees coming to Guam is labor abounds on island but if you expect to get paid by your boss don’t hold your breath.
What I fear is that tens of thousands of others will come here and be tossed to the sharks just waiting for their victims. And there will be between 20,000 and 50,000 of them headed our way within a few months.
FELIX AGUON
Dededo, Guam
