Media release

Auckland Councillor Cameron Brewer

Sunday, 6 October 2013

Brown needs to get fat salaries under control before introducing Living Wage   

Auckland Councillor for Orakei Cameron Brewer says Mayor Len Brown needs to get the fat council salaries under control first and foremost before he puts his hand out for even more money from the poor old suburban ratepayers with his recent promise of introducing a Living Wage at Auckland Council.

“Our wage bill is growing significantly every year and it’s now at $702m for 10,616 staff. Let's focus on managing that before even digging even a bigger hole for ratepayers to fill.

“It’s totally out of whack that the number of Auckland Council staff (including the CCOs)  earning more than $100,000 has increased by 20.4% in the past 12 months to 1,510 people at 30 June 2013,” Mr Brewer says.

The latest Annual Report also reveals that the total number of council staff earning over $200,000 is up another 15 people, now at 113. While the total number of council employees is up 459 from 10,157 to 10,616 in the past 12 months – outpacing overall increases in rates income.

The total annual wage and salary bill hit $693m in 2012/13 up from $655m on the previous financial year. It the current 13/14 year the staff bill will exceed $700m.  

“Despite these out-of-control numbers, the Mayor and a majority of his centre-left councillors keep pushing management to adopt a Living Wage – a policy that is now estimated to cost the council at least another $3.75m each year.”

Mr Brewer says an amendment from him last month, which a majority of councillors supported, goes someway to protecting their pockets and council services.

The Brewer/Quax amendment read: ‘That any further work on the living wage be done on the proviso that any extra money required be found within the current wage and salary staff budget (approximately $700m) of the Auckland Council Group, not funded by a further rates increase or reduction in existing council services.’

"The Mayor seems happy to blindly accept the council and CCOs’ payroll escalations Three years on and it’s blindingly obvious that the Mayor has failed to take advantage of the one-off economic opportunities the amalgamation presented. It’s time he focused on actually delivering the savings first before making more election promises,” says Cameron Brewer.

ENDS

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