In an interview on Wednesday, Palacios, R-Saipan, said he disagrees with Sen. Juan M. Ayuyu’s claim that locals are unwilling to hold onto the difficult and labor-intensive CUC jobs.
Noting the CNMI’s high unemployment rate, Palacios said lawmakers should be trying to help locals find jobs and not give preference to foreign workers.
CUC ended up hiring guest workers again because there weren’t enough local applicants for those jobs.
Palacios believes that instead of allowing CUC to hire nonresident workers, the Legislature can work on something to allow retirees to work at the utilities agency again.
Ayuyu, Ind.-Rota, introduced Senate Bill 17-48 during Senate session on Rota last week to allow CUC to fill technical and professional positions with guest workers until 2011.
According to the bill, CUC should also exert diligent effort to find and train U.S. citizens or permanent residents to take the jobs.
CUC and the Fitial administration support the bill.
Palacios said it is more costly for the government to hire guest workers because CUC has to pay for their eventual repatriation and other federal immigration requirements.
Perhaps, he added, they can pass a measure that will allow retired CUC employees to work on an annual contract that should not exceed two years.
He said CUC is a critical agency that requires well-trained and experienced workers.
Since CUC retirees handled those jobs before it is wiser and way cheaper to re-hire them, he added.
“We have high unemployment rate for locals. We must focus on our own people. We must encourage them to enroll at the Northern Marianas Trades Institute and train for jobs that are currently being held by guest workers,” he said.
