Media release issued on behalf of Unions Southland.

Working people in Southland are horrified to learn ICC Chief Executive Clare Hadley intends to slash the pay of her employees by up to fifty percent.

Hadley has declared only those council staff working full time will continue to receive their full pay, while those working part time receive 75% pay and those currently unable to work lose half their pay check.

Hadley last year accepted a $10,000 pay increase, taking her total remuneration to $340,000 a year.

Many of the workers she is taking money from are paid only $20 an hour.

"Someone rich and powerful wants to take money from the families of her lowest paid staff, at a time when they can least afford it. It’s disgusting," says Anna Huffstuttler, spokesperson for Unions Southland.

"Men and women who work in our pools and libraries are apparently expected to survive weeks on the equivalent of $10 an hour. The council predicts it will increase it’s financial surplus this year, so how do they justify squeezing extra cash from working class people during a crisis?"

Mayor Tim Shadbolt and Invercargill’s city councillors are discussing rates relief in order to support residents who suffer financially as a result of the lockdown.

Southern union members call on their elected officials to intervene and prevent unnecessary financial pain being inflicted on council workers and their families.

"The Mayor and our councillors have said they are united in their focus on the welfare of every member of the Invercargill community. Surely that should also extend to the staff who work for them," says Ms Huffstuttler.

"Southland has been hit hard by the virus, but New Zealand has also seen us come together and support our neighbours through it all. Invercargill City Council should think carefully before they allow their Chief Executive to take our region’s reputation and throw it in the trash."

© Scoop Media