AUSTRALASIA 42
CNMI
IPI loses executives, sheds workers Imperial Pacific International (IPI) continues to hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons, losing more senior executives and coming under fire for sacking workers, after having argued labor shortages were a key reason for delays in finishing its Saipan resort.
T
he Hong Kong-listed company in September was given a three-year extension to complete the project after missing another deadline in August. It has cited difficulties in sourcing skilled labor on the island, as well as issues with one of its main contractors, which was accused of hiring illegal Chinese workers. However, last month, IPI fired 80 construction workers brought in under temporary visas.
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The workers said the termination had been a shock as their visas and contracts had earlier been extended to Jan. 30th next year. The employees met with local government officials to plead their case, with some politicians questioning IPI’s ability to meet even the extended deadline. “With all of these local and H-2B workers being laid off, are we really supposed to believe that IPI will complete the hotel
casino construction project within 2.5 years?, opposition lawmaker Edwin Propst was cited as saying by the Saipan Tribune. The company also announced the departure Chairman and CEO Harry Cheang in October after less than a year on the job. He was the fourth key executive to depart this year, after former CEO Mark Brown left in January, Executive Director Cai Lingli departed in August, as did Chairman Marco Teng.
