All 16 members present voted in favor of House Bill 16-142, which was introduced by Vice Speaker Joseph P. Deleon Guerrero, R-Saipan.
Four were absent — Saipan Republican Reps. Rosemond B. Santos, Joseph Reyes and Ray N. Yumul, and Edwin Aldan, Covenant-Tinian.
Like other government agencies, CUC can directly hire engineers and professionals but it needs the approval of the Legislature to contract manpower services.
H.B. 16-142, which now goes to the Senate, will allow CUC to hire manpower agency mechanics up to 2010 only.
Commonwealth Utilities Corp. Executive Director Tony Muna told lawmakers that the remaining mechanics at the power plant are already exhausted because they have no relievers. (See story on page 7)
During a session yesterday afternoon, one of the mechanics said they have to work 24 hours a day.
A total of 20 foreign national workers deployed to CUC’s power plants were removed in Sept. 2007.
In a memo to Muna, the power plant manager said “units are breaking down because of the lack of personnel to address preventive maintenance inspection and proper operational supervision, including the plant auxiliary systems, not to mention the [reverse osmosis] system for the proper cooling system and the incinerator area.”
The extra workload given to the remaining mechanics exposes them to burnout which could potentially cause work hazards, the plant manager added.
“This has created a serious concern with the safety for the current operating equipment and the staff members who have to work in close proximity to these units…. Most of the staff are overworked and are planning retirement which poses a major problem (for CUC),” the power plant manager said.
Muna said the new CUC management will make sure that more locals are trained to run the power plant facilities and reduce the agency’s dependence on foreign labor.
