Press release
ACCLAIM Support Groups
Revelations in today's media that ACC staff are bullied in the workplace only serves to reiterate what claimants and
their advocates have been saying for a long time now. The culture within ACC is inappropriate and out of control. Janice
Gemmell said "It is our view that the management culture in this organisation uses both bullying and standover tactics,
making the work environment unsafe."
It doesn't take much to understand what the flow-on effects are if employees of ACC are working in this environment.
There is more than adequate research to show that people who are bullied will often then turn into bullies themselves.
"Accident victims have consistently been subjected to similar tactics as the ACC staff are claiming happens to them."
ACCLAIM spokesperson Murray Jorgensen stated. " To hear ACC staff stating that their work environment is one of
persecution and bullying doesn't surprise us at all. What is interesting though is that they are referring to their own
persecution and not that of their clients'.
This culture and adverse attitude quite obviously comes from management. This is further evidence that a full
select-committee or other indpendent inquiry is needed into ACC starting with the Board, senior management staff
including Wilson, McGreevey and Rankin and cascading down through all operational staff. This allegation about the way
management treats ACC staff is very serious indeed because it has significant impacts on claimants and their families.
There needs to be a full inquiry into ACC and its practises before more people's lives are destroyed.
Ends