2019-03-01
The majority of Australians think senior executives are paid too much. The Greens agree.
All NSW public sector CEO’s, Vice Chancellors and and managers will be limited to a maximum salary package which is no more than 10 times the median wage, in a policy announced today by the NSW Greens. When wage growth is barely keeping up with the cost of living and public sector workers on the ground have had unfair wage limits, there is no justification for any executive on the NSW payroll to earn more than ten times the median income.
With a median NSW wage of $50,000 a year it is obscene that fat cats in public institutions are raking in more than $1 million a year. That’s why we’ll introduce a maximum salary of $500,000 for senior executives roles in the public service, government agencies, universities and state owned corporations.
Greens MP David Shoebridge said:
"Most people would be shocked to know just how much NSW senior executives on the public payroll are pocketing in their annual salary.
"The Greens policy is about bringing wages back in line with fairness. That's why we’ll introduce this maximum wage policy of $500,000 for senior executive roles in the public service, governments agencies, universities and state owned corporations.
"Salary caps are about stopping the rapid growth of taxpayer-funded CEO salaries, while ordinary workers continue to bear the brunt of an increased cost of living.
“Politics is about choices and the Greens choose to give CEO salaries a hair-cut and direct all these savings to schools, hospitals and the public sector workers who keep them running.
“Public funds should not be used to dole out obscene salaries to an elite few, often the very same people who are urging staff cuts and slashing wages and conditions.
“The Greens believe that it’s nurses, firefighters, train drivers and teachers who need a pay rise, not a bunch of fat cat CEOs.
“At a time when most university staff are having their wages cut to the bone, it’s just incredible that this gaggle of Vice Chancellors are pocketing up to $1.5 million a year.
“We think this policy passes the pub test, if you are being paid by the public then there’s no way you should expect to get more than ten times the average wage of the taxpayers who fund you.” Mr Shoebridge said.
Greens Candidate for Summer Hill Tom Raue said:
“We all know it’s the everyday workers who produce the majority of wealth in this country. A cleaner on the minimum wage works just as hard as any CEO or executive whose office they clean.
"Right now ordinary wages have stagnated and the people I speak to in the community are really feeling the crunch of the cost of living. There's no justification for public executives to be pocketing these obscene salaries while they deny fair pay rises to workers on the front line.
"In my electorate of Summer Hill housing costs are increasingly untenable and people are struggling to live on the median annual income.
"This is about creating a more equal society, funding our public services properly and sharing wealth more evenly." Mr Raue said
*Media Contact: David Shoebridge 0408 113 952 / Tom Raue: 0414 393 411*
*PACKAGE DETAILS BELOW *
Senior executive roles that would be impacted by a maximum wage include:
University of Sydney Vice-Chancellor $1,445,000
Australian Catholic University Vice-Chancellor $1,300,000
UNSW Vice-Chancellor $1,247,500
UTS Vice-Chancellor $1,035,000
Macquarie University Vice-Chancellor $985,000
University of Wollongong Vice-Chancellor $905,000
Western Sydney University Vice-Chancellor $905,000
University of Newcastle Vice-Chancellor $875,000
Charles Sturt University Vice-Chancellor $757,000
University of New England Vice-Chancellor $735,000
Sydney Water Managing Director $786,582
Parramatta Council CEO $728,000
Sydney Trains CEO $695,000
Landcom CEO $600,531
We we all know it’s everyday workers who produce the majority of wealth in this country. A cleaner on the minimum wage works just as hard as any CEO or executive. Parenting and care work is just as valuable to society as work done by CEOs or executives. It’s time to acknowledge this and share the wealth more evenly.
Executive salaries along with corporate profits are at record highs while average households have less than they did a decade ago. An elite few at the top are raking it in while the rest of us do it tough. In NSW too many senior executives who draw salaries from public funds earn over ten times the median income. In the higher education sector some Vice Chancellors earn more in a week than a casual member of their staff does in an entire year.
There is no justification for this. Executive salaries paid for with public funds should be no more than ten times the median income. Ordinary Australians are doing it tough while those at the top get pay rises equal to almost a full years’ income.
The senior executive of Sydney Trains earns almost $700,000 a year after receiving a $40,000 pay rise. This is same executive who tried to deny a six percent wage rise for Sydney Train workers. The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney earns almost $1.5 million per year while overseeing the casualisation of the universities’ workforce and forced redundancies. At UNSW the Vice Chancellor is paid almost $1.2 million, despite staff cuts and rampant casualisation.
Public funds should not be used to dole out obscene salaries to an elite few, often the very same people who are urge staff cuts and cuts to wages and conditions.
If we want to live in a more equal society, and to be able to fund our public services properly we cannot go on creating worse levels of inequality. We need to rein in pay for those at the top and tie it to workers’ salaries.
According to the ABS the median estimate for employee income in NSW is $49,256.