Unpaid overtime is a long standing issue with the Department of Public Safety “due to lack of funding” to pay the officers working extra hours.
So says Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety, Terry Letuli.
Due to lack of manpower, police officers have to work overtime, he adds.
Guards of the Territorial Correctional Facility, who worked overtime during the COVID-19 lockdown, Christmas and New Year holidays said, they have not been compensated for their overtime hours.
An unnamed TCF guard was quoted by the Samoa News saying, it’s been two years and his accrued overtime hours have still not been paid.
“The concerns are true, when there are not enough officers we have to ask them to work overtime but the problem is, we don’t have the funding to pay the overtime,” said Letuli.
The officers out of their free will, work extra hours.
“At the moment we’re looking for funding to pay for the incurred overtime,” said the deputy commissioner.
He was unable to confirm the dollar amount of the overtime incurred and how many officers are affected.
According to Letuli, in lieu of unpaid overtime, they “recommend the officers to take time off from work.”
