Irene N. Tantiado, United Workers Movement, NMI president, said Myers is determined to file the case.
Labor Deputy Secretary Cinta M. Kaipat has said that they have completed the adjudication and closure of 4,968 cases.
Tantiado said Kaipat’s report “might be partially true,” but added that Labor failed to fulfill its responsibility to collect the unpaid wages from bond companies.
She said surety bond agreements stipulate that bonding firms “are held and firmly bound” by Labor for the payment of the workers’ unpaid wages, including air fare.
“We don’t agree that the labor cases have been resolved,” Tantiado said. “Our objective is that all guest workers who have unclaimed wages should collect all amounts due to them.”
Labor Secretary Gil M. San Nicolas said the unpaid administrative orders are spelled out in detail in the small claims packet provided to the displaced guest workers.
Kaipat, for her part, said the Legislature made the Department of Commerce responsible for the governance of bonding companies.
The law, she added, didn’t give the Department of Labor any licensing, disciplinary, or collection authority over bonding companies.
She said Labor has no authority to go after bonding companies because the Legislature didn’t give the department such an authority.
“We have authority to adjudicate cases involving claims between foreign national workers and employers and issue administrative orders. We do that very fairly and effectively. Our orders are rarely overturned in the courts,” she added.
