Statement from MoveUP Vice President Jeff Gillies on the BC Government’s Review of ICBC

August 16, 2012

“The Review of ICBC released today by Finance Minister Kevin Falcon has clearly reaffirmed what our union has long been saying about ICBC’s unfair compensation structure. The number of managers and their salaries has skyrocketed while the number of positions providing services to the public has decreased. Our wages have stayed stagnant since 2009. We have a situation where you have more managers being paid more to manage fewer people actually doing the work.

“But what’s most frustrating about this report is that Liberal government has spent months on a review to learn things they should have already known. This information didn’t require a months-long review to be presented, it’s something that could’ve been figured out by taking due diligence in an ICBC board meeting.

“Another aspect of the review that was unsurprising to us was it conveniently avoided the real cost driver of most insurance policies: the $1.2 billion the Christy Clark government is taking from ICBC. That money is being funneled right into provincial coffers.

“MoveUP is curious what the government will do with the savings—if there are any—to come out of this report. Drivers and unionized ICBC employees providing services are the ones that have been left behind. We need to know that any money saved by cost constraints won’t be heading straight to government but will be used to reduce rates for drivers and keep the unionized workforce at ICBC from falling further behind.”

The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union, Local 378 (MoveUP) represents approximately 4,600 employees at ICBC.

– 30 –

Media Contact: Sage Aaron, 604-317-6153, saaron@moveuptogether.ca