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Grant-funded ASG employees now exempted from reduction in hours

Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga [SN file photo]
Gov puts in place procedure for recovering lost hours
fili@samoanews.com

With grant-funded employees now exempt from the reduction of working hours, executive branch directors have been informed to schedule a work plan for these affected employees to recover these hours, so they can get paid, via a separate pay check.

When the reduction of working hours, from 80 to 70 hours per pay period, or 10-hour furlough per pay period for ASG was implemented in mid April, employees exempted were instructors, doctors, nurses and contract employees.

However, it was late last month into early this month when Samoa News learned that employees whose salaries are paid by federal grants are now included in the exemption, although there has been no official announcement from the Administration.

Two ASG employees told Samoa News last week that departments who have grant-funded employees held meetings where it was announced that these employees are now included in the exemption from the 10-hour furlough per pay period.

Now grant funded employees have questions as to how and when they will recover the hours lost during the 10-hour furlough. This was answered in a June 9 memo titled ‘Recovery of hours cut for grant-funded employees’ to executive branch directors from Department of Human Resources director, Eseneiaso J. Liu, who noted that reduction in hours for grant funded employees was recently abbreviated.

She said DHR has now received authorization from Gov. Lolo Matalasi Moliga that employees shall be extended the opportunity to recover those hours that were cut during their period of reduction in hours.

Liu requested directors to inform their supervisory personnel to plan the work schedules of the affected employees moving forward in order to facilitate the recovery of hours.

“...these recovery hours will be paid as regular time,” she wrote. “Additionally, these recovery hours will need to be processed via a separate paycheck so as to avoid confusing these hours for overtime.”

At last Friday’s cabinet meeting, the Governor said the explanation has gone out on how grant-funded employees will recover the hours that were cut during the furlough period and that grant funded employees are now back on the full 80-hour pay period.

According to the Governor, there are 30 hours, from the previous pay periods where grant funded salaries were cut. The recovery of these 30 hours should not be co-mingled with future working hours on the time sheet, he said, and suggested ways to have the affected employees recover the 30 hours, such as scheduling them to work either Saturdays or after ASG regular working hours to make up the 30 hours.

If it’s after-hours during the week, “make sure the employees clock-out for the end of the work day and then clock-in” to start work for hours to be recovered, the Governor said. He reminded directors that DHR cannot pay the affected employees if they can’t justify it.

“So it’s up to the director as to how the 30 hours would be recovered,” he said. The Governor said the 30 hours in question are to be submitted separately and these hours will be paid through a supplemental run, and not included in the regular payroll run.

Lolo said the reduction in working hours policy continues until June 30 and thereafter, ASG “will conduct a review if there are necessary changes to be done.”

Samoa News notes that June 30 is the end of the 3rd quarter of FY 2017.

In implementing the 10-hour furlough per paid period, the governor cited “two principle difficulties” impacting the government’s cash flow:

•     Closure last December of Samoa Tuna Processors Inc., cannery operation, which resulted in a reduction in business and individual tax revenues along with a general reduction in business activities.

•     Slowdown of grant funded revenue streams as a result of the change of administration in Washington D.C.