Phase 4 of the COVID-19 withdrawal scheme is for members who have been unemployed well before COVID-19 reached our shores

Fiji National Provident Fund’s CEO, Jaoji Koroi says phase four of the COVID-19 withdrawal scheme is similar to the relief provided to small business operators and taxi drivers in phase one of the COVID-19 withdrawal scheme.

As there have been some concerns as to why the government will not be topping up in phase 4, Koroi says this phase targets members who have been unemployed for more than six months, from October 2017 to September 2019.

Koroi adds this group of members have been unemployed well before COVID-19 reached our shores and most of them would have withdrawn when they were initially unemployed.

He says these members accessed their own general account balance and phase four is therefore similar to phase one.

Koroi says 32,000 members will qualify for phase four which means these members have equal to or more than $135 in their general accounts. These members can apply for between $100 to $1,100, depending on their general account balance.

Applications for this phase will open next Monday and payment will be made in lump sum.