October 14, 2009
Media Release

ACC cuts a needless attack on working Kiwis

The Government’s decision to hike ACC levies and cut entitlements is a needless and cynical attack on New Zealand workers, says the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

The changes follow a systematic campaign by the government to portray ACC’s accounts as being in a state of crisis, despite the scheme making a billion dollar surplus in the last financial year.

EPMU national secretary Andrew Little says there is no need to cut entitlements and this is an entirely political decision.

“The government is trying to make out that there is no alternative to increasing levies and cutting coverage but they have failed to make a credible argument for their claims that ACC is in ’crisis’.

“Rather than provide an independent analysis of the real state of ACC the government is determined to rush headlong into changes that will see ordinary New Zealanders paying more and receiving less.

“It’s a cynical and baseless attack on working Kiwis that can only be seen as a concerted attempt by the government to undermine New Zealanders’ confidence in ACC.

“The fact that these needless cuts are being portrayed by National as ‘not as bad as they could be’ only shows how cynical this exercise has been.”

The EPMU is New Zealand’s largest private sector union, representing 45,000 New Zealanders across eleven industries.

ENDS

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