Stop meddling with ACC - Green Party NZ

The Green Party today called on the Government to immediately stop its political meddling with the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC).

“ACC is there to protect workers and it is essential that workers’ interests are represented on the ACC board,” said Green Party Spokesperson Sue Bradford.

“If the Government sacks the current ACC board members with union backgrounds it needs to ensure that workers interests are represented on the new board.

“Both Ross Wilson and Wayne Butson are very competent ACC board members and the Government’s move to sack them is based on pure ideology.

“I am increasingly concerned that the Government’s move against the ACC board is part of an agenda to privatise ACC,” said Ms Bradford.

The Green Party supports calls from the Council of Trade Unions and the Association of Salaried Medical Specialists that union expertise is needed on the ACC board.

The Green Party will work with ACC claimants, workers, community organisations and Unions to do everything we can to ensure that the progress made with the ACC scheme over the last nine years is not reversed, said Ms Bradford

“The improvements made in the coverage and quality of the no-fault ACC scheme need to be protected.”

For example, ACC has made significant progress in injury prevention and helping people back to work with 93 percent of people suffering injuries being rehabilitated after a year. (www.acc.co.nz/about-acc/WIM2_059348?ssSourceNodeId=3860&ssSourceSiteId=1...).

“New Zealand needs a public no fault ACC system. We do not want to end up with a privatised insurance model like the United States where many people have no protection at all,” said Ms Bradford.