Deputy Labor Secretary Jacinta M. Kaipat said this will apply to nonresident workers seeking transfer of employment.
The new form that they wil sign reads: “I understand and agree that if I am granted an extension of time to transfer, I may be required to pay for my repatriation ticket. Difficult economic circumstances may cause my last employer of record to go out of business or otherwise be unable to pay for my repatriation ticket. I will maintain sufficient resources to pay for the ticket if necessary.”
It further reads: “I understand and agree that if I am granted an extension of time to transfer, I may be required to pay for my medical expenses. I will be responsible to pay for medical care myself. I agree to present adequate assurance to the Department of Labor with respect to this undertaking in the form of insurance, a solvent sponsor, a working spouse, cash resources, or other documentation acceptable to the Department of Labor. I also agree to subscribe to, pay for, and keep current any form of health or death/accident insurance offered by the government of my home country for its citizens.”
Kaipat said the CNMI’s dire economic situation calls for these changes.
“We decided to use this form to remind workers of our policy protecting the commonwealth’s taxpayers from any costs due to worker repatriation and medical expenses,” she said in a statement released by the governor’s office.
She said there are circumstances when a foreign worker’s last known employer becomes insolvent and could not even pay to repatriate him or her.
“Because of the difficult economic times in the commonwealth, a worker’s former employer may go out of business while the worker is in the process of transferring to a new employer. If that happens, then the worker may become responsible for repatriation expenses,” she said.
“That would happen only if the worker decided to go home. Labor has had a few instances in which an employer, who was responsible for repatriating a worker, went out of business while the worker was attempting to transfer,” she added.
When a foreign worker is successful in transferring to a new employer, Kaipat said then the risk disappears.
She said the new employer then assumes the responsibility for foreign workers’ repatriation and medical expenses.
