Source: Radio New Zealand
ACC needs to stick by its original commitment to its workers ,says the union. File photo. RNZ / Angus Dreaver
The public service union wants the Commerce Commission to investigate whether ACC breached the Fair Trading Act with its job ads.
The Accident Compensation Corporation recently told staff it wanted them in the office three days a week, rather than two.
But the Public Service Association (PSA) said this was in contradiction to job advertisements which ran from June 2023 until at least July 2025 that “explicitly promoted working from home up to three days a week as a key benefit of working at ACC”.
It has written to the Commerce Commission, seeking an investigation into ACC for breaching the Fair Trading Act.
“ACC deliberately advertised flexible work arrangements to attract staff, and is now looking to break that promise – this is exactly the kind of misleading conduct the Fair Trading Act is designed to prevent,” said PSA national secretary Fleur Fitzsimons.
“The job adverts from ACC are very clear. They say you can have a work-life balance, no late nights, and up to three days a week working from home.”
She said workers made major life decisions – resigning from jobs, relocating, arranging childcare – based on ACC’s advertised working conditions.
“Many feel deceived and betrayed with the proposed change to its remote working policy.”
She said ACC needed to stick by its original commitment to its workers.
“The Commerce Commission needs to investigate whether ACC breached the Fair Trading Act, which applies to employment advertising. Job seekers deserve accurate information about working conditions, which employers are obliged to honour”.
The PSA also lodged legal action with the Employment Relations Authority following ACC’s proposed WFH policy change, to which it said ACC agreed to pause the changes and consult with staff, with implementation delayed until early next year.
“While we welcome ACC’s decision to finally consult staff, the consultation proposal is the same and doesn’t change the fact that they misled job applicants about working conditions in the first place,” Fitzsimons said.”
ACC was approached for comment, in response chief executive Megan Main said: “We have consulted with our people on our working from home proposal and are considering their feedback. We will share the outcome of the consultation shortly.”
Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand
