337 workers from Winners Corp. may transfer to non-garment jobs
Marianas Variety, Micronesia
By Emmanuel T. Erediano
Variety News Staff
337 workers of Winners Corp. garment factory, which ceased operation yesterday, can seek new jobs, even if they’re not garment-related.
In an order issued on Monday, Department of Labor hearing officer Jerry Cody instructed the garment workers to register themselves on or before Feb. 20 with the Division of Employment and Training Services which will inform them of their transfer rights and obligations.
Those who will transfer to other garment jobs are not required to register with the division because the requirements for job vacancy announcement are waived for transfers to the same job category, Cody said.
Winners Corp. was one of the garments shops that had earlier notified the government of their intention to shut down.
According to one of its maintenance staffer, there are actually 600 workers who are now jobless as a result of the closure.
In his letter to Labor Secretary Gilbert San Nicolas last month, Winners Corp. general manager Min Ho Sik said the factory would stop its operations on Feb. 5, 2014.
But he said the corporation would continue to exist and was anticipating “some business activities†to continue.
In compliance with the federal WARN Act and local law, the company informed its workers verbally about the shutdown on Dec. 5, 2014 and issued a written notice of closure two days later. The employees were given their paychecks the day they received the written notice.
The garment factory, the Labor ordered must provide a ticket within seven days to any of its former employees that want to be repatriated.
