The Fiji National Provident Fund has announced that Phase 2, Phase 3 and Phase 4 of the COVID-19 withdrawal assistance will continue.
Phase 2 Round 3
CEO Jaoji Koroi says from 28th October, Phase 2 Round 3 will open and the fortnightly payment will begin on 10th November.
He says members who are still on leave without pay due to the pandemic or have been unemployed from 1st October 2019 will continue to be assisted.
Koroi says they are expecting that more that 25,000 members will access this phase with a projected cost of around $28 million.
He says it is important to note that for members who withdrew in Phase 2 Round 2 and have indicated to be continuously assisted with COVID-19 withdrawals will automatically be re-registered for round 3.
Koro says there's no need for them to re-apply.
He says only those who indicated clearly in their form that they do not agree they will need to reapply on the FNPF app or through their employers.
Koroi further says they know there are some hotels that are employing some of the members accessing these relief phase in the Love Our Locals campaign especially in the weekends.
He says these members will not be affected.
Koroi says they will be liaising with these hotels to ensure that members who are employed through this campaign do not lose out on their fortnightly relief.
There is government top up for Phase 2 Round 3.
Phase 3 Round 2
Phase 3 Round 2 will open on 21st October. This is for members who are working on reduced hours or reduced wage rates.
Koroi says more than 24,000 members are anticipated to apply for the next round of this phase.
He says members will need to reapply for Phase 3 Round 2 through their employers.
Koroi says all applications in this phase are to be submitted through the Employer Portal.
He says it is important that members and employers select the correct category of the relief that is applicable - especially for members on reduced hours.
Koroi says they cannot change category selections once applications have been approved and processed for payment.
He says it is important that members and employers choose the correct category before applications are submitted through the portal.
There is government top up for Phase 3 Round 2.
FNPF Phase 4 Round 2 assistance extended to those unemployed since 2013
The Fiji National Provident Fund says Phase 4 Round 2 of the COVID-19 withdrawal assistance is now being extended to members who have been unemployed from 1st January 2013 to October 2019; and this will open from next week, Monday 12th October 2020.
CEO Jaoji Koroi says members must have a minimum of $135 in their General Account and can withdraw between $100 to $1,100
He adds there is no Government top up for this Phase and the withdrawal is one off.
Phase 4 first opened on 31st August and it was initially for members who were unemployed from 1st October 2017 to 30th September 2019.
Stay tuned for the latest news on our radio stations