Samoa Public Service Association Explained

PSA
Location Country:	Samoa
Members:	600 (in 2021)
Full Name:	Samoa Public Service Association
Native Name:	Faalapotopotoga Tagata Faigaluega Malo Samoa
Headquarters:	Apia, Samoa
Key People:	Karamellie Tuala, general secretary

The Samoa Public Service Association (PSA; Samoan: Faalapotopotoga Tagata Faigaluega Malo Samoa) is a trade union in Samoa. Founded in 1969 as a branch of the New Zealand Public Service Association,^[1] and officially registered in 1979,^[2] the union's three-month strike in 1981 was critical to the rise of the Human Rights Protection Party and its victory in the 1982 Western Samoan general election.^[3]

The union was quiescent from 1981,^{[2] [3]} and allowed its registration to lapse in 2020.^[4] It organised a meeting in the wake of the HRPP's 2021 election loss and the 2021 Samoan constitutional crisis to hear the concerns of public servants around the firing of several chief executives by the new government.^{[3] [4]}

Further reading

• The Strike in Western Samoa: An Interpretation . Patricia Kinloch . Pacific Viewpoint . 1982 . 23 . 2 . 161–172 . 10.1111/apv.232004 . 2 September 2021. free .
• Web site: PSA Strike Cripples Post Office . Samoa Observer . 9 April 1981 . 2 September 2021.
• Web site: PM says P.S.A. request is 'for fono' to decide . Samoa Observer . 9 April 1981 . 2 September 2021.

Notes and References

1. Book: The Pacific Islands: An Encyclopedia, Volume 1 . Brij Lal . Kate Fortune . University of Hawaii Press . Honolulu . 2000 . 357-358 .
2. Web site: PACIFIC ISLANDS STAKEHOLDER PARTICIPATION IN DEVELOPMENT: SAMOA . Antony Hooper . World Bank . 1998 . 2 September 2021.
3. Web site: Public servants gather after dismissal discontent . Samoa Observer . Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong . 31 August 2021 . 2 September 2021.
4. Web site: Public servant union defends meeting . Samoa Observer . Matai'a Lanuola Tusani T - Ah Tong . 1 September 2021 . 2 September 2021.