ACC mega-wages unethical

It is unethical that over 300 ACC staff are paid in excess $100,000 a year at the same time the corporation has been culling its long term claimants, the Green Party said today.

The corporation's Annual Report states that two ACC employees were paid between $720,000 and $760,000 last year, meaning both earned more than the highest paid state CEO, John Allen of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

"While the average hard-working Kiwi is seeing their wages stall or go backwards, incompetent Government managers are reaping the benefits of the National Government giving them big pay packets," said Green Party ACC spokesperson Kevin Hague.

"It is unethical that so many people who oversaw a mass privacy breach and culture of disentitlement should be paid so much money.

"ACC has been grossly incompetent over the past year. The average Kiwi would have been sacked for what ACC has done. It appears the Government is rewarding ACC for their incompetence.

"On what planet can you justify over three hundred ACC managers getting paid such excessive salaries?

"It is galling to know the massive salaries of those whose job has been to kick eligible New Zealanders off their ACC entitlement.

"The new ACC board needs to make sure their salaries are fair and reasonable, not over-inflated and reward poor performance."