Nanaia
MAHUTA
Education Spokesperson

06 November 2012 MEDIA STATEMENT

A Four Letter Word For Not Responsible…? Foss.

The Associate Education Minister Craig Foss is making avoiding responsibility for the Novopay debacle into an art form, says Nanaia Mahuta.

“In Parliament today I asked Mr Foss whether his Government would take responsibility for the continual botch-ups and compensate teachers for any losses they’ve suffered due to incorrect payments.

“Craig Foss dithered. He ducked responsibility. He dived for cover. He couldn’t even say whether schools would be reimbursed for the extra costs that have been forced on them as principals and staff spend hour after hour sorting out Novopay problems.

“This is well beyond a joke. Novopay has taken four years to develop, and switching to the new system cost $26-million. But two months on from the first bungled pay round, the system still does not work.

“Minister Foss admitted today there are still more than 3,000 errors to fix. It’s ridiculous for him to dismiss this as an operational matter. It’s his job to hold the Ministry and the contractor accountable and get the system fixed.

“The Ministry is currently conducting a road-show throughout the country to explain how it is attempting to resolve issues that have been reported. But a public relations exercise is no substitute for getting paid on time and in full.

“In the lead-up to Christmas, schools will be looking to reconcile their annual pay entitlements, tidy any loose ends and prepare for the New Year. This brings a whole new set of complexities to end of year pay rounds.

“The Government can’t even get the basics right – how on earth are they going to make sure that teachers and support staff aren’t out of pocket over the holiday period?

“Craig Foss needs to stop making excuses and start taking responsibility for sorting out the Novopay mess,” says Nanaia Mahuta.

labour.org.nz

ENDS

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