ABUSED foreign workers should formally file a complaint with the Department of Labor and Immigration so that DOLI can act on their cases, according to Labor and Immigration Secretary Joaquin A. Tenorio.
This week a local resident employed at a garment factory of Sako Corp. claimed she was verbally abused by her supervisor. She also alleged that the firm does not allow its workers on duty from 1:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. to take a break.
Sako’s president, Joseph Chan, denied the allegations, saying that some employees “are not used to a more disciplined environment.”
As of Tuesday, DOLI had not seen a formal complaint from the employee.
“The thing is we have to have some kind of a formal complaint. The (Saipan Garment Manufacturing Association) rules may not be the same as ours. We don’t interfere with SGMA rules unless they come to us and lodge a complaint,” he said.
Still, DOLI will look into the matter, he said.
“I’m afraid we need to look at this first. First of all, we cannot make a hasty decision because we also have to consider SGMA. They have their own rules,” Tenorio said.
“As far as we’re concerned, we can look into it and see if there’s any violations. But if we don’t find any violations, there’s not much we can do about it,” he added.
Last November, a group of foreign and resident workers accused Sako of committing numerous labor violations.
