On Friday, two days before the factories shut down, Labor issued an administrative order to UIC workers for their transfer relief.
Frank C. Aguon, the department’s enforcement section, compliance and monitoring unit investigator, said as of Sept. 19, there were 229 UIC workers who remained undecided whether they would go home or stay and look for new employer on Saipan.
In August, when UIC informed Labor about the closure of its operation, the factory had 308 workers on the island. But 87 of them left Saipan on Sept. 21.
Aguon said there are 43 employees, including locals, who will remain at the factory as part of the skeletal workforce while UIC dispatches its pending shipments.
From Onwel, Aguon said there were 169 workers who qualified for transfer when the factory closed on Aug. 21.
As of Sept. 5, he said, there were 32 Onwel workers who had already left Saipan.
Labor provided Onwel with a 90-day transition period to allow its management and nine employees to “wrap up” their work.
“The employer and the workers have a very good relationship and we have not received any complaints on unpaid wages,” Aguon said.
Since 2005, Saipan garment manufacturers have been moving their factories to Third World nations where labor costs are much lower compared to the CNMI’s.
