SCC raises red flag on employee overtime

The Suva City Council has raised a red flag on overtime pay for employees as their audit found it could amount to between $1.5 million and $2 million annually.

It was revealed by Tevita Boseiwaqa, Chairman of the SCC Special Administrators, in response to a question on the misappropriation of funds during the hearing of the SCC 2016-2018 Annual Reports with the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Social Affairs today.

Boseiwaqa says they have determined that one of them in their Health and Works Depot section made more than $240,000 between August 2023 and June 2024.

“What was found in just one section, one section, depot, there are two depots. One is work, the other is health. One of them made about $240,000 in the last fiscal year through June, when it is analyzed.”

Chairman of the SCC Special Administrators, Tevita Boseiwaqa

Boseiwaqa says they are trying to implement measures to control overtime for employees as one of the responsibilities of the special administrators is to ensure that the funds are properly used and managed.

He says they have also collected a lot of leave for employees, from annual leave to long service leave, which needs to be monitored as this is also an area they need to clear and tidy up.

Boseiwaqa says they are determined to achieve their goal, and will not allow their challenges to stop them from ensuring a safe city.

Meanwhile, earlier this year, some workers aired their grievances over the halt in payment of their overtime at the Fiji Trade Union Congress, calling on the government to resign or consider a strike, after which their overtime was approved for release by SCC .

FBC Newsunderstands, however, that the issue still remains between the employees and SCC.