Banking issues affect Christmas festivities for families of Vanuatu Abattoir staff

January 1, 2025 9:59 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

By Clifton Kissel.

A total of 10 Vanuatu Abattoirs Limited (VAL) staff reportedly didn’t receive their wages on time prior to Christmas due to issues with the Bank of the South Pacific’s (BSP) banking system.

As a result, many of these employees, who are parents, had hoped to buy gifts for their children, prepare festive meals, and attend family gatherings, but were unable to do so.

BSP’s Automatic Transfer System (ATS) only came online on Monday, says BSP’s Head of Finance Sanjay Narayan, avoiding another unpaid nightmare for staff families ahead of the New Year’s celebration.

One of the affected staff members, VAL employee David Shem, shared his disappointment, calling it one of the worst Christmases he has ever experienced.

“It’s one of the saddest Christmases I’ve ever gone through. I was expecting to do some shopping for my family, but suddenly everything was disrupted by the earthquake,” he shared.

VAL confirmed that the payments had been processed before the earthquake, but the BSP ATS banking system was impacted. On Monday, the VAL staff visited BSP to enquire about the delayed payments and were informed that the process was still ongoing.

Staff member Pikon Manaula expressed his relief, saying, “VAL had agreed to pay us in cash yesterday (Monday).”

BSP’s Head of Finance, Narayan, explained that the bank’s ATS was activated on Monday, and by the end of the business day, all affected customers, including those with businesses at other banks, had been paid.

By late afternoon Monday, the transactions had been successfully processed, and staff were able to withdraw their money and go shopping for the New Year celebration with their families.