Since they took office, John Key’s National government have been putting our public services under the blowtorch. Most public servants have been refused pay increases and thousands have lost their jobs. But it seems not all spending of taxpayer money is subject to the same level of scrutiny and restraint.
Since National came to power the number of Beehive staff earning over $100,000 a year has more than doubled. Under Helen Clark’s leadership there was only one Beehive staffer who earned over $150,000 a year. John Key seems to think he needs at least 10 of them.
It seems different rules also apply when it comes to pay increases within the Beehive. Questions I asked of Key earlier this year revealed that a number of Beehive staff had been given pay rises, but he refused to release any further information on how big the pay rises were. I asked him again recently and here is his answer:
“I am advised that a small number of ministerial office staff received pay increases, primarily as the result of promotion to new roles in the period 9 February to 5 August 2010. I am not prepared to release specific details about the individual increases.”
Why not? I haven’t asked for any information that would identify individual staff members. All I’ve asked for is information on the scale of the increases and the number of staff who are getting them. National is telling hard-working Kiwis they aren’t allowed pay rises, why should their hired helpers get different treatment?
At a time when many New Zealanders are struggling to pay for the basics like electricity and food, they will find Key’s refusal to front up, justify and explain why he thinks his own staff should be subject to different standards pretty disappointing.
Did you see the bit stating “primarily as the result of promotion” – Generally people get paid more when they get promoted – that is not the same as a payrise.
Had these facts been revealed of the last administration, it would have been on the front page of the National Herald with the opposition screaming about ‘gorging in the public trough’ and ‘feather bedding’ and the government being ‘out of touch’ and ‘bunkered in the Beehive’ …
As Chris said, the result of promotion is a payrise – so what’s the point of this post??
That hard work pays off under a National led government
Question to Chris H – So when someone gets promoted to a new role you expect them NOT to get a pay rise?
You are arguing two disparate issues. Just getting a pay rise for doing nothing new – as in what the left and unions generally push for.
Or
Getting a new role – which comes with the appropriate pay increase.
It worries me when you cannot see the difference between the two.
Newsflash, newsflash – politician accuses another politician of being hypocritical, read all about it…
Austerity stops at the end of Lambton Quay… Lol…
standard national modus operandi. don’t really understand why anybody expected anything else.
@chris… i have a job application form for you. it’s only for cleaning the pm’s toilet, but it gets you closer to the heart of the government.
bbfloyd. pathetic.
LOL
“primarily as a result of promotion”? am i to assume that during the term of the last administration, that the beehive was operating without a full roster of support staff?
a promotion would suggest that these high paying jobs already existed. so where were they hiding until now?
am i just being cynical, or is(don)key telling obvious lies again?
Promoted? Then these are new jobs?
Because if they were merely promoted to existing jobs, the salary levels overall would stay the same.
Is the number of Beehive staff actually on the rise under National?
Taxpayers should be told.
Heh .. the PM is increasingly becoming Mr ’see-through Key’.
As the saying goes, you can fool some people some of the time but you can’t fool all the people all of the time.
Were new high paying positions created for specific people to be promoted into? That would be worth examining.
Chris – many public service departments and agencies have a freeze on promotions or even filling vacant positions. Why should that be the standard for the public service but not John Key’s own Beehive staff?
Could it be that the 9th Floor is employing more people to polish political turds? Welcome to the Ministry of Truth.
The only thing the PM’s department is missing now is a giant plasma telescreen, complete with its own power station.
So Captain Panic Pants was just a lowly lieutenant last year then?
@loota… close, but scientific studies show thatyou can’t polish a turd. they are either too moist, or break up when left to dry out. but you can roll them in glitter. makes them look all shiny and new. a bit like most nat policies.
the only reason i can think of for the expansion of the pm’s staffing levels is that he now has some real thinking to do. so, of course, he has to have people around him who can….
mind you, he could fire all the consultants he uses and stick with his new toilet cleaner. he’s clever.