Disgruntled Imperial Pacific International workers joined in a mass work stoppage and protested on the streets of Saipan, complaining that they have not been paid for weeks and are living in poor conditions in dorms and lodgings at the construction site provided by their employer.
Hundreds of workers walked the streets, carrying signs with messages such as “We Want to Get Paid” and “Open Back the IPI Bank Account.”
According to Asia Gaming Brief, much of their ire was reserved for Chief Judge Ramona V. Manglona, of the U.S. District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands, who recently ordered the company’s bank accounts to be frozen in order to pay former subcontractors such as Pacific Rim Land Development, which is owed US$6.8 million for breach of contract and breach of a promissory note following a recent federal court ruling in its favor. Some workers have demanded that Mangola be replace and any available funds be directed to the workers.
The protestors also say IPI has ignored “ridiculous” conditions at the construction site. About 90 percent of IPI’s 2,000 employees are currently furloughed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Meanwhile, in an effort to stay afloat, IPI has reportedly entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with Zhongfeng International Investment Holdings Group that will see the latter subscribe for HK$50 million (US$6.5 million) of convertible bonds. Zhongfeng was called a “strategic partner” of the company.
As reported by Inside Asian Gaming, IPI recently warned that it may have to permanently close its casino on the island of Saipan, which is part of the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas and a U.S. territory.
IPI has also failed to pay US$37 million it owes to the Commonwealth Casino Commission, monies that should have gone into a community benefit fund per its casino license agreement.
