Updated Story. Story originally posted as “Watch out for Metrotheft” 6 August 2019
Metromix is a large concrete transport company that has happily taken the taxpayer dollar working on NSW Government projects whilst engaging in wage theft.
We call it Metrotheft.
The TWU has made a second application to the Federal Circuit Court and, His Honour Judge Street, has ordered that penalties be paid by Metromix for their act of Metrotheft.
Previously in the Federal Circuit Court, Judge Street ruled that Metromix failed to properly pay meal allowances to a TWU member since 2013. The Judge made orders against Metromix declaring they had breached their enterprise agreement and the Fair Work Act. Metromix were also ordered by Judge Street to pay our member back their unpaid wages.
Across the transport industry, from companies all through the supply chain, wage theft is rampant and on the increase. The TWU has the evidence that shows many transport workers are being underpaid every day.
Companies are on notice from the TWU, if they make a decision that leads to transport workers not being paid the correct wage, then they have engaged in wage theft.
The TWU believes that Metromix arrogantly showed their total contempt of their workers and the legal system, by refusing to attend the court, twice, to face up to their problem, despite being properly informed of the original court hearings.
Other TWU investigation work into companies working on the NSW Government’s WestConnex project have shown evidence of late payments, wage theft (underpayments), fatigue breaches, overloaded (overweight) trucks and drivers double shifting (where a driver works two driving shifts consecutively across two trucks).
Over the years the TWU has obtained many court judgments rectifying wage theft for our members. We know that the system is broken. There is no serious disincentive in place for employers who engage in wage theft and often recovering the correct amounts owed is extremely difficult.
For many operators in the transport industry, wage theft has become the new business model. For the TWU and our members this is unacceptable. We know the problem will become more widespread if dodgy bosses are not held accountable for their actions.
Companies that engage in wage theft often plead ignorance when they are caught out by the TWU despite the industry knowledge they clearly possess from running a large fleet and working for major government projects.
Wage theft is stealing from transport workers, their families and taxpayers.
The current laws make wage theft too easy and the punishment is too light. This means that clients, like the NSW Government, are able to turn a blind eye to what is going on in their own supply chain.
If a company is cutting corners by stealing money from workers, then you can be sure that they are cutting corners on other issues like the maintenance of trucks or safety. Safety is a shared responsibility of all in the supply chain including the client who place the most pressure on transport workers with their control of the industry.
Clients that utilise their position to drive down costs and ensure there is a race to the bottom are making profits from wage theft in their supply chain.