[Photo: FILE]

The Fiji National Provident Fund is stepping up efforts to recover $10.8 million in outstanding employer contribution debt dating back to 1995, with more than 35,000 members affected by unpaid contributions.

In a press briefing, the General Manager, Member Services, Alipate Waqairawai highlighted that an amnesty campaign launched in May has helped recover hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid contributions.

However, a significant amount remains outstanding, particularly from businesses that have ceased operations.

Waqairawai says the campaign identified 2,446 employers with unpaid obligations affecting 35,200 members.

“We are doing all we can to do our best to collect every single cent, but we are also reaching out to employers and businesses out there to please come forward.”

According to FNPF, $4.8 million of the outstanding debt is owed by active employers, while $5.99 million is linked to businesses that are no longer operating.

Since the launch of the initiative, FNPF has recovered $913,000 in legacy debt.

“We want to solve the end of the day; it’s impacting their workers who happen to be our members also”

Additionally, FNPFs Team Lead Compliance Rajni Devi added to the statement, stressing that the Fund’s priority is to recover the outstanding contributions and ensure the money is credited to members’ retirement savings accounts.

“And we’ve also reached out to employers in that list as well, and we’ve got really good responses regarding that subset of employers as well”

FNPF acknowledges that recovering debt from inactive businesses remains challenging, particularly in cases involving liquidation, winding-up proceedings, or deceased sole proprietors.

Despite the progress made through the amnesty campaign, more than $9.8 million in unpaid employer contributions remains outstanding.