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HR warns dodging proper hiring procedures costs ASG

Human Resources Director Le’i Sonny Thompson has raised concerns with Directors and Agency Heads regarding the “UNAUTHORIZED personnel recruitment and placement of employees” within the government.

 

In his letter issued Friday, April 26, 2013, Le’i informed cabinet members that the ASG Personnel Review is progressing well. However, he’s concerned about unauthorized personnel recruitment in the government.   

 

He stated in his letter, that Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga at the latest cabinet meeting reminded there is only one Employment Agency in the American Samoa Government and that is HR.

 

He said that circumventing HR, ” … is in direct violation of the American Samoa Code Annotated (ASCA) Title 7 and the American Samoa Administrative Code (ASAC) Title 4, Government Employees,” which he cited as follows:

 

ASAC Title 4, Chapter 03, Section 4.0301(6) “The official effective date of the recruitment and placement actions, as well as other personnel actions, shall be established by the office of manpower resources except in the case of resignation, the date of which is established by the employee who is resigning.  Effective dates are not made on a retroactive basis.”

 

ASAC Title 4, Chapter 03, Section 4.0302 “the director (refers to HR Director) has primary responsibility for establishing and administering procedures for filling vacancies in compliance with appropriate federal and ASG rules.  However, all employees and supervisors share responsibility for the successful operation of the system.”

 

Le’i said in his letter that allowing people to work as government employees without proper authorization from the Human Resources Department not only “thwarts their efforts to clean up the personnel system, but it will also hinder the progress toward improving the Merit System and it could very well result in costly Federal and Local employment litigation.” 

 

Queries sent to the HR Director about what prompted the letter were not answered as of press time.