VANCOUVER – The number of ICBC workers making more than $150,000 per year has more than doubled over the last 10 years, according to an NDP analysis of numbers released by the provincial insurer.
The data show 95 workers made more than $150,000 in 2015, compared to 41 workers above that threshold in 2006, reported CBC News.
“It’s stunning,” said NDP MLA Adrian Dix. “Services are worse now because they dramatically increased senior executives, while they cut front line staff. The reality is service is worse.”
The ICBC numbers, gleaned by Dix from ICBC’s financial filings, show 145 employees made more than $150,000 in 2014, a 10-year high.
Unpaid claims have also gone up over a 10-year period, according to Dix. In 2010 there were $109 million in unpaid claims, compared to $523 million in 2014 — something Dix says points to falling service levels.
“You can see the effects on the ground,” said Dix. “What we are seeing increasingly, because they have cut front line staff, is a worse result in that area.”
Transportation Minister Todd Stone disputes the claim that staffing levels have fallen and told fellow MLAs during budget estimates on Monday that executive pay at ICBC is unrelated to the number of unsettled claims.
“There is no linkage there,” he said. “There have been no layoffs for front line workers. We are actually increasing the number of staff doing claims.”
“They [ICBC] are in the process of hiring 200 claims workers. The vast majority are front line claim adjusters.”
In terms of why the insurer may have more unsettled claims, Stone said the number of crashes have remained “roughly flat,” but the number of claims are growing.
ICBC has seen 7,000 more claims in 2015 compared to 2014. The provincial insurer has blamed the sudden increase on potential fraud.
