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U.S. Dept. of Labor rules ASDOE under-payed 60 employees

PAGO PAGO, American Samoa (The Samoa News, Jan. 10, 2015) – The U.S. Department of Labor has cited the local Education Department (ASDOE) for not paying overtime wages to more than sixty employees in the technology and transportation divisions.

In a media statement late Thursday afternoon, the USDOL announced that ASDOE has agreed to pay $17,430 in overtime wages to 20 workers and 6,675 hours of paid leave to an additional 44 workers who can use the hours as compensation for unpaid overtime hours of work in the future.

During its investigation, the USDOL’s Wage and Hour Division (WHD) found that ASDOE paid bus drivers and technology department employees only for their scheduled weekly hours regardless of hours actually worked.

By doing so, overtime hours worked were underreported, the federal agency says.

"Certain post shift activities, such as transporting school children to extra-...

Gathering accurate statistics vital for good decisions: Minister

By Phillipa Webb

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands (Cook Islands News, Jan. 9, 2015) – A big improvement in the gathering of population statistics is expected in the Cook Islands over the next decade.

Health Minister Nandi Glassie says the gathering of facts and figures on births, deaths, marriages and health problems is vital in assisting the Government to decide what development programmes to implement.

Focusing on the gathering of civil registrations and vital statistics, the 10-year campaign follows an Asia-Pacific ministerial meeting held in Thailand late last year.

Glassie told ABC Radio Australia that while gathering accurate statistics might sound boring, it was something Pacific nations needed to focus on if they wanted to make good decisions.

Children born in the Cook Islands are required to be registered, and as an enticement, parents receive a one-off payment of $1000, as...

Volcanic ash from Hunga Ha‘apai drifts into flight paths

NUKU‘ALOFA, Tonga (Matangi Tonga, Jan. 9, 2015) – Tonga’s domestic airline Real Tonga cancelled its flights yesterday afternoon Thursday, 8 January due to ash coming from the continuing volcanic activity at Hunga Ha‘apai to the north west of Tongatapu.

In a statement, the airline said it was operating all scheduled flights until after 2:00 pm yesterday, when wind changes pushed volcanic-ash into the flight paths between Tongatapu and Ha’apai.

The volcanic activity has been occurring since mid-December.

"But conditions did not affect flights until yesterday," Real Tonga stated.

"Reports from the Meteorological Services and flight crews indicated the changes in wind direction was pushing volcanic-ash into pre-determined flights paths."

The airline planned to operate normal schedules, including additional flights to cater for the affected passengers as soon as possible.

"This will...

Engagement of police, soldiers to collect bills called ‘illegal’

PORT MORESBY, Papua New Guinea (PNG Post-Courier, Jan. 12, 2015) – The engagement of PNG Defence Force soldiers and the police in the state of emergency (SOE) declared by the Government to recoup outstanding electricity bills continues to come under fire.

Last week former attorney general and Sinasina-Yongamugl MP Kerenga Kua described their engagement as unconstitutional and the Government’s actions illegal as the declaration of an SOE only applied to a national crisis or emergency.

Over the weekend Opposition Leader Don Polye expressed similar sentiments and decried the use of the two disciplinary forces as "debt collectors" for the cash-strapped State-owned PNG Power Limited.

Papua New Guineans also took to social media to slam the Government over the decision by the National Executive Council to use the PNGDF and the Royal PNG Constabulary to fix a commercial problem.

But SOE...