“This can only help in reducing the number of cheated workers and improving the system overall,” Doromal said.
In its progress report to the Legislature, the department said its Labor director has subjected foreign worker applications to increased scrutiny to identify employers who are insolvent and who may not able to pay their workers.
Doromal, however, said there are already thousands of workers who have been cheated by their employers. The Labor Department, she added, refused to assist in collecting judgments it issued.
“The issue of the thousands of cheated workers from the past years has to be addressed,” said the former Rota teacher.
In its report, Labor stated that because of the enforcement against insolvent or unqualified employers, there was large number of application that was denied.
From June 2008 to March 2009, there were 627 denial cases that were filed for appeal.
Labor said the disqualification has been upheld in many cases, and employers were denied permission to employ foreign workers.
Doromal said Labor should have reported the number of incoming foreign workers, not only those who were repatriated during the period of 2006-2008.
According to Labor, during the three-year period starting in 2006, over 16,000 foreign workers were repatriated. Labor at the same time said it is efficiently and cooperatively working with nonresident workers and their representatives to accommodate hardship concerns and to honor requests for the timing of repatriation.
