Senators question salary hikes for executives and roll backs for staff

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — Senator Malaepule Saena Moliga has demanded to see a report on ASG employees who had their salaries rolled back when the Lemanu- Talauega Administration took over.

Malaepule made the request last week, when the Department of Human Resources Director Lynn-Alaimalo Pulou appeared at a hearing about the increase of salaries for directors, deputy directors and managers that was carried out without Fono approval.

The senator asked the director for the number of government staffers affected by the rollback and inquired on the date when this came into effect.

 “The salaries for directors and deputy directors have increased [between $5,000 to $10,000] yet I know many public servants took a hit on their checks when the rollback came into effect,” he said.

Last week, the DHR Director said this has already been resolved and there was a previous hearing on the rollback and they have made adjustments to determine the staff members that had pay increases.

In March the issue of the rollback of salaries landed before the Senate, after a the DHR’s  “investigation” following the governor’s memo about the rollback of salaries that identified several issues, including salaries that “went from $13,000 to $47,000.”

The DHR Director informed the Senate about this issue back in March during a committee hearing on a Senate resolution, which — among other things — requested a “stay on the rollback”.

The resolution calls for a committee hearing to review Gov. Lemanu P.S. Mauga’s Feb. 5th memorandum, which ordered the rollback of pay adjustments made without justification in the budget by the previous administration as well as the conversion of contract workers to career service employees without going through the merit process — since Jan. 1, 2019 to the date of the memo.

Senator Malaepule then made his request through the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee for a full report, outlining the number of public servants that were affected.

He pointed out the increase of salaries for the Cabinet members was made several months after the government rolled-back the salaries of public servants, hence the concerns.

Last week, the DHR Director said the rollback had already taken place and their department was moving forward “and most of the government staff that had their salaries rolled-back, have received salary increases.

Senator Magalei Logovii made the appeal to the DHR director to submit the requested report during this hearing.

In previous hearings on the increases of salaries for the government directors, Magalei said it was not included in the previous budget for 2021-2022, but it has been submitted in the current budget proposed for the new fiscal year, yet these salaries were already in effect. 

Director Pulou-Alaimalo told the Senate the authority to increase the salaries came from Governor Lemanu.

Magalei questioned the Governor’s “authority” to approve the increases of salaries not included in the budgets for the departments.

 “We only approved increases of directors salaries to $75,000 however some directors are getting paid between $80,000 to $85,000; and again, who authorized the increased salaries, which were not included in the budget approved by the Fono?” asked Magalei.

He added that deputy directors also received pay raises and are now earning $75,000 up from $70,000.

Magalei reminded the DHRnDirector the unbudgeted items, including increases of salaries cannot be implemented as its “illegal” and that the department should follow the salaries in the budget approved by the legislature.