The man responsible for clamping the car of a pregnant paraplegic at Christchurch's Eastgate Shopping Centre says his employers are paid $25 commission for each vehicle they clamp.
The employee who clamped the first car before 10am earned the title of "top dog" and received a bonus, Arti Daken told The Press.
Mr Daken (43) was working for the New Zealand Wheel Clamping Company when he clamped a car belonging to heavily pregnant paraplegic Meika Reid at the mall last month.
She had false contractions during the 2-1/2-hour standoff with Mr Daken, which arose because the expiry date on Reid's valid mobility permit was obscured by the seal of the car's windscreen.
Mr Daken said the incident happened during his second day on the job. He has since left.
He understood from his two weeks of training that he would be paid about $25 for each car he clamped, plus a bonus, such as a free restaurant meal, if he clamped the first car of the day.
"If you can clamp a car before 10am you're the top dog. It (Ms Reid's clamp) was at that time about 9.30am," he said.
Company director Gordon Ward said Mr Daken was sub-contracted to a supervisor, who had since resigned.
Auckland clampers received a base salary, but the Christchurch supervisor may have used a bonus system, he said.
"The idea of bonuses is a goodwill gesture and also to build up some camaraderie," he said.
"It's a hard business, so if you can come up with some positive ways of looking after them, I'm not against that ... But it was his system, not ours. I would prefer the system I use."
Mr Daken said he was surrounded by a crowd during the incident with Ms Reid and believed he had been unfairly targeted.
"I was hired to do the job. It's the first thing they say to me: if they don't have a validated date on them, you clamp."
Last month the Ministry of Transport revealed it was considering regulating wheel-clamping companies.
