Governor Lolo Matalasi Moliga has not authorized the payment of $144,000 which the United States Department of Labor has cited ASG must pay for overtime incurred by Customs Officers.

Samoa News understands Lolo has instructed the Department of Human Resources not to act on anything yet, until after he consults with the USDOL’s main office in Honolulu, Hawai’i.

It was reported last week in the media that The Treasury Department was expected to issue a lump sum payment of $114,000 for the Customs agents who had insisted that their unpaid overtime be reviewed and paid.

In January, 2014 a petition was signed by close to 30 Customs Officers regarding their overtime and comp time. The petition was sent to Sam Tinae, the EEO Officer. Samoa News understands this prompted the investigation by the USDOL’s local office.

According to the customs officers, they worked overtime servicing after-hours flights, weekend flights, Saturdays at the post office as well as night time flights for Hawaiian Air, Pacific Airlines Cargo, Military flights, and private flights and yet they are not compensated properly.

Altogether, the overtime hours that were submitted totaled 2,500 hours, covering payrolls 15-24. However, last month, the amount of overtime payment was reduced because a review found discrepancies including double claiming of hours and questionable record keeping.

The governor last year put his foot down and put an end to overtime incurred by government employees who work after hours servicing the airport on flight nights. He pointed out the issue of incurring exorbitant amounts of overtime by personnel servicing the flights after hours is a practice that should be abated right away.

Lolo noted the agencies working at the Airport — which are Customs, Port Administration and Agriculture — should hire part time employees, which would eliminate the over-time charges and provide opportunities of financial assistance to others in the community.

He made it clear in his letter there will be no more overtime incurred. According to the petition, the Customs officers say they are being forced to work extra hours and are not sure how they are being compensated.

Treasurer Falema’o Phil Pili has informed HR that there is money available in ASG to pay off this overtime.

However, Samoa News understands that the local investigator presented a report on the overtime, for the approval of HR Human Acting Director Eseneiaso Liu, however Mrs. Liu refused to sign the document.

Efforts to get a direct comment from Liu were unsuccessful as of press time, and emails to U.S. Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) local investigator Siriporn Poondee were not immediately answered.