Labour MP Greg O'Connor slammed for 'tone deaf' post about Covid pay cut

Labour MP Greg O'Connor has since deleted the Facebook post. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Labour MP Greg O'Connor has been criticised for a Facebook post where he complained about his 10 per cent pay cut as an MP, after his car broke down.

In the post, which has since been deleted, the Labour MP for Ōhāriu wrote: "'Little Red' decided he had done his bit for the week and needed time in the hospital. It was a bad week to get a 10 per cent MP pay cut as those hospital stays aren't cheap. AA is a great investment."

Screenshots of the post have been shared on Facebook and Twitter, with people criticising the MP for his "tone deaf" comments, as a high number of New Zealanders on lower salaries cope with pay cuts and job losses in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

National MP Chris Bishop shared the screenshot with the caption "Wow".

In the comments, the majority of people thought O'Connor's post was "out of touch".

Wow.

Posted by Chris Bishop on Saturday, 25 July 2020

"This guy is in lala land. Worried about a 10% pay cut on a $180k salary. They are out of touch with reality," one person commented.

"If he is unhappy with his salary I'll happily take it from him," another Facebook user said.

People have also been posting screenshots of the post to O'Connor's Facebook page, after he deleted the post, criticising him for what he said.

Screenshots of the post have been circulating on social media. Photo / Twitter

A Twitter user shared a screenshot of the post, saying the MP was "having a whinge about the tiny drop in his 6-figure salary".

For his work as an MP, O'Connor receives a base rate of $163,961 a year, which is about three times the median annual income in New Zealand.

In April, Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern asked the Remuneration Authority to cut ministers' pay by 20 per cent, as the country faced the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.

Other MPs took a 10 per cent pay cut, which started at the beginning of July.

Ardern last month expressed her frustration at the fact that, despite the request in April, she and the ministers were still on full pay.

"They will still be happening and they will still apply for six months. What I am frustrated by is how long it's taken," she said.

The Remuneration Authority justified the delays with the bureaucratic process around pay cuts and said they would start in July.