Report from RNZ
the Accident Compensation Corporation (ACC) has confirmed it will be cutting 300 jobs as part of government-ordered cost-saving measures. The reduction is in areas outside of ACC’s client-facing teams and includes 85 vacant roles.
Sixty six new roles are being created to support the delivery of ACC’s services, bringing the total reduction of 366 roles to a net reduction of 300.
The agency is charged with preventing injuries, and supporting those recovering from injury and getting them back to work.
ACC had previously proposed a reduction of 390 roles with a net loss of 325 jobs.
“We took a whole-of-enterprise approach to the proposal, reviewing all non-client facing parts of the organisation to find opportunities to remove duplication, limit expenditure and stop work that isn’t closely connected to improved outcomes for our kiritaki (clients),” ACC chief executive Megan Main said.
They had engaged with staff throughout the process and received more than 750 feedback submissions, Main said.
“The feedback provided great insights and I’m confident the final decisions are better as a result.”
The new organisational structure is expected to be in place on 12 September.
The Public Service Association said the job losses meant the agency would not be able to perform its role as well as it could, calling the move a “dangerous cost-cutting exercise”.
“We have seen in the past that ACC spending cuts mean declining claims, limiting client’s access to entitlements (like home care hours or home modifications) and returning injured people to work before they are ready,” PSA assistant secretary Fleur Fitzsimons said.
The PSA was concerned about the cuts to the injury prevention teams. “This is an absolutely vital area dealing with workplace safety, prevention of sexual violence, and road safety. This work is all about ensuring accidents and injuries don’t happen in the first place.”
“A government so focused on reducing costs and ‘better outcomes’ should be investing more in these areas, not less.”
ACC is separately creating about 250 additional frontline rehabilitation roles.
“The decision to create more capacity within this part of the organisation was an existing area of focus for us that coincided with the change process,” Main said.
Recruitment for those positions is underway.