ACC experience rating will harm worker safety

The Government’s introduction of experience rating for employers’ ACC levies is preparing the work account for privatisation, said the Council of Trade Unions today.

“Experience rating is all about setting premium levels to move cover to private insurers in the future,” said CTU President Helen Kelly. “Rewarding employers for a lower claims rate doesn’t reduce accidents but provides incentives for accidents to be covered up – either not reported, or misrepresented as having happened out of work, or bullying employees not to seek treatment. This will weaken health and safety practice by distorting the incidence of and reasons for accidents.”

“It will also lead to the end of industry-wide approaches on health and safety issues as employers focus on their own enterprise, reducing innovation and the sharing of learning across employers in a sector. Workers will suffer because their industry as a whole will not learn from the experiences of others.”

“The move to no-claims bonuses for small employers is especially worrying – no claims is not the same as no accidents and will cause workers to miss out on care.”

For further information contact:

Helen Kelly, President, CTU
04 802 3812 / 021 776 741