Last week, the NBN rollout in Tassie was thrown into chaos when one of the major subcontractors carrying out the work (a company that made up more than 10 per cent of the NBN workforce in the state) was axed without notice by lead contractor Visionstream.
Between 80 and 100 workers lost their jobs overnight.
Some of these workers had relocated from Queensland, moving their families, all on the assurance that they would have two years work on the project.
They now have no job and are in many cases owed several thousand dollars in unpaid wages and entitlements.
What the union has uncovered is also significant for the NBN rollout nationally, as it appears the subcontractor was using a web of companies, and shifting workers between them, in an attempt to avoid their legal entitlements.
The contractor is Queensland-based Q Fibre, which while it has fled Tassie (storage sheds were emptied out and the yard abandoned), is reportedly about to commence NBN work in Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Two of the three companies they operate under are registered in Darwin, while the other is registered in Brisbane.
Following meetings with Q Fibre workers, the union has uncovered a range of concerning allegations, including:
– serious issues with underpayments of wages and entitlements
– terminations that breached the national employment standards
– staff still owed pay for last fortnight
– staff shifted to a new employer, without their knowledge, just weeks before they lost their jobs
– payslips listing different employer names, ABNs, and at times no ABN
– payslip listing employer that didn’t even legally exist for part of the pay period recorded
Beyond the workers and subcontractors currently seeking unpaid entitlements and ongoing work on the NBN, there’s some really big issues about the governance that has occurred, and how such an apparently ill-qualified contractor able to win a large amount of the NBN rollout work.
This is more pressing given they are reportedly about to commence NBN work in QLD and are currently performing work in the NT as a Tier 1 contractor. There’s obviously big questions for consumers as well, given the axing of more than 10 per cent of the specialist workers doing the rollout of the NBN in Tassie will certainly have an impact on the rollout.
If NBN claims that isn’t the case, perhaps they want to explain the yard full of idle vehicles at the Visionstream depot.
“Our Union is deeply concerned …”
• Trevor attached a copy of a termination letter from Q Fibre, along with several payslips, showing Q Fibre Labour (but ABN for Q Fibre Pty Ltd), Q Fibre Labour (with no ABN), and Q Fibre Pty Ltd.
Also attached was an ASIC report on Q Fibre director Ivan Willey’s interests and two photos of him.
Background:
28 May 2015: Visionstream terminated contract with Q Fibre
29 May 2015: Ivan Willey, one of the directors of Q Fibre, wrote to employees telling them that their employment was terminated immediately. All staff / subbies in Tasmania were terminated, and all equipment from the Q Fibre yard was taken away. (Interestingly, there are apparently a dozen or so staff who have still not had any direct contact / information from Q Fibre…). The letter, informed them that their employment was terminated immediately, with no notice period. This is in beach of the National Employment Standards.
2013: Visionstream, subsidiary of Leighton Contractors, awarded a $334m contract to roll out the NBN in Tasmania over four years.
Visionstream employed Queensland-based subcontractor Q Fibre for some of the work.
The directors of Q Fibre (Ivan Willey and Jared Slade) are directors of an accounting firm in Brisbane, Advivo Accountants and Advisors ( http://www.advivo.com.au/about/our-people ). They were both previously directors at a company called Gateway Financial Partners.
Q Fibre employed 80 to 100 people in Tasmania. They were a mix of local employees, staff that had moved down from Queensland, and small subbies. They made up about 10 per cent of the NBN workforce in Tasmania.
Businesses involved:
Q FIBRE PTY LTD was registered in April 2013: https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/panelSearch.jspx?_afrLoop=61452583601202&searchType=OrgAndBusNm&searchText=163132303&_afrWindowMode=0&_adf.ctrl-state=t5zl02fi3_22
NETCOM SERVICES GROUP PTY LTD was registered in October 2014: https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/panelSearch.jspx?searchType=OrgAndBusNm&searchText=602208382&_afrWindowMode=0&_afrLoop=73816948168616&_adf.ctrl-state=1ja4a1l9p_4
“Q Fibre Labour” was only registered as a business name on May 13, 2015: https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/bySearchId.jspx?searchId=605669565&_afrWindowMode=0&searchIdType=BUSN&_afrLoop=61671409648052&_adf.ctrl-state=t5zl02fi3_40
Q Fibre Labour is a registered business name of NC LABOUR SERVICES PTY LTD: https://connectonline.asic.gov.au/RegistrySearch/faces/landing/panelSearch.jspx?_afrLoop=61431505920571&searchType=OrgAndBusNm&searchText=166752610&_afrWindowMode=0&_adf.ctrl-state=t5zl02fi3_4
