FICAC staff received $5000 pay rise without performance evaluations

The Fiji Independent Commission Against Corruption (FICAC) paid out half a million dollars in salary increases without any staff appraisals or job evaluations.

Acting Commissioner Lavi Rokoika told the Standing Committee on Public Accounts yesterday that former management gave every staff member a flat $5,000 salary increase in 2023.

“The reasoning behind the flat payment of 5,000 was because there had been no job evaluation done for a number of years,” Ms Rokoika said during the committee hearing. “I believe from mid-2014-2015 up till I think that's some good 8 years, it was on that everybody was sitting on the same salary from around 2014-2015.”

Committee member Sachida Nand questioned whether FICAC had policies allowing management to unilaterally increase salaries across the board without evaluations.

“This half a million dollars is public money and if there is no policy in FICAC that allows management to unilaterally increase the salary, the best way to increase the salary is to have a job evaluation done,” Mr Nand said.

Mr Nand called the payment “abuse of public money” and suggested it needed investigation because it could set precedent for other statutory organisations.

Ms Rokoika confirmed there was no policy in place but said the acting Deputy Commissioner at the time had authority under FICAC legislation to make the decision.

The payment was made to all staff except those on contract, with the decision authorised by then-acting Deputy Commissioner Francis Pulewai.

Ms Rokoika, who took office in May, said some staff raised grievances about the increase but no formal complaints were filed through proper channels.

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