Privately owned Bluesky Communications in American Samoa has agreed to pay back wages of more than $US80,000 to affected workers after being cited by the United States Department of Labor for failure to comply with federal labor laws.
The Labor department official, Terence Trotter, says the decision follows a two year investigation which found that Bluesky failed to pay overtime for hours worked beyond 40 hours.
He says overtime violations occurred when employees in the customer service department worked on average up to five hours per week beyond their scheduled shift without compensation to complete their assignments.
Mr Trotter sas Bluesky has agreed to pay $80,240 to the 20 customer service employees affected.
Additionally, Bluesky has endorsed a Back Wage Compliance and Payment Agreement regarding its commitment to future compliance with Federal Fair Labor Standards Act or FLSA.
Bluesky Communications also agreed to provide a reasonable break time and private room for Mums wanting to nurse their babies.
Mr Trotter says the federal government appreciates the employer's proactive steps taken to be compliant with the Break Time for Nursing Mothers provision of the Act.
Telecommunications company Bluesky Photo: RNZI / Sally Round