Quite a number of civilians who worked as auxiliary police officers during the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in October claim they are yet to be paid their allowances.

There were more than 200 civilians who helped the Samoa Police but when the list came out for allowances in December, there were only 133 names on it. Authorities had said that those whose names did not appear on the list would have the money deposited into their bank accounts.

Some who worked as auxiliary staff claim they are still waiting. Some said they do not even have bank accounts.

A teacher who assisted during CHOGM complained that he had not received his allowance. He claimed he worked day and night without getting enough sleep to make everything appear flawless during CHOGM. 

he said it appeared that the government did nothing to compensate them for their labour.

The payment delay caused concerns about the coordination and financial planning of such major events. Concerns over the lack of transparency and the long delay for their allowances have been raised by a few individuals who served as auxiliary officers.

"I am one of the teachers working as a traffic person during CHOGM, and I have witnessed how hard the work was, especially on the road where the majority of the cars are travelling and all of the people are crossing by," he said. 

"It was our job to keep everyone and the people of our country safe. I am extremely disappointed that we have not received anything to repay the hard work we have done for the government during CHOGM."

He added that he left other school programmes during those three weeks to receive $75 per day and additional funds to support his family and meet his needs. 

Following CHOGM, they told them to wait and they would receive the money the following month, but by the new year, they had not received anything, so he decided it would be best to take action and inform the government that they had worked hard to protect the nation during CHOGM. 

"They should be aware that we had a strict schedule during the three weeks of CHOGM as teachers, but it's not about getting money but being able to help out," he said.

“I don't know about the others, but it seems like a simple grievance to me, and we need to know why we didn't receive anything while everyone else did.” 

Milz Levao Patu also expressed his displeasure on social media about not receiving his allowance during CHOGM. Most employees who work during CHOGM are complaining on social media but have not approached the government formally about their lack of pay.

As one of the people employed by the government at CHOGM, Periti Vesi also served as an auxiliary police officer.

“I apologise; nothing went as planned. I had hoped to receive the allowance before Christmas and New Year's Day, so that I could use it to assist in purchasing gifts for my family and children," he said.

"I had a lot of plans for the money, but since I haven't received anything, I haven't done a single thing and I am awaiting my money."

It is estimated that close to 240 people were selected to serve as auxiliary police officers. Questions have been sent to the Samoa Police but no response has been received.

The last time this question was put to the Minister of Police Faualo Harry Schuster, he clarifed that the delay was from the Ministry of Finance. Following this, 133 people were given cash allowances before Christmas.