Public Servants Salaries and Overtime Priority in Emergency Budget

Apia, Samoa – 18 September 2025 – The public servants’ salaries and unpaid overtime have been given first priority in the government’s Emergency Budget allocations.

Cabinet’s first meeting yesterday passed the use of the Emergency Budget under Article 105 of the Constitution and has been submitted for the Head of States approval.

Under the Emergency Budget, the Ministry of Finance (MOF) prepares the budget allocations and expenditures for the Head of State’s approval on a weekly basis for a 30-day period.

According to Prime Minister Laaulialemalietoa Leuatea Polataivao Fosi, Treasury reported that remaining funds in the salary item can pay the public servants’ salaries for one more pay week.

This excludes overtime for several ministries that had been withheld for some time.

The Prime Minister has assured the public servants that they will be paid what is due and asked for their patience.

He said MOF will prepare and set out payments based on priorities such as salaries and overtime and sending patients for overseas treatment which comes to around NZ$1.5m under the Overseas Medical Scheme.

Other than the emergency budget, the MOF has also been instructed to prepare the main budget to be tabled in mid-October and will undergo the main Parliamentary process and approval.

Update Ministerial reports
After the new government was sworn in on Tuesday, Cabinet Ministers then entered their respective offices and met with their staff in the afternoon.

The CEOs and their Assistants will be meeting Cabinet today and have been tasked to provide an updated report of their respective ministries to guide the Governments priorities.

Then in two weeks, Cabinet will make site visits of all government ministries and SOEs to inspect not only physical facilities but manpower.

One major concern is the National Hospital at Motootua which is only 13 years old, but is already in a very poor state, with the government looking at whether to pull it down and rebuild anew as piecemeal repairs are expensive and may not last.