Collapse of WA traffic company leaves 400 workers unemployed

A whopping 400 staff have learned that they are now unemployed after receiving a brutal text message about their termination.

Hundreds of staff have learned that they are now unemployed after receiving a brutal text message about their termination.

On Tuesday, 400 workers at a Western Australian company called Advanced Traffic Management (WA) Pty Ltd, which provides workers and equipment for major road work projects, got a text informing them the business was in liquidation.

Advanced Traffic Management had been a registered business since 2003 but the Federal Court ordered it to go into liquidation over an unpaid debt.

A related entity had also collapsed, called Labour 623 408 855 Pty Ltd, and for four months, Advanced Traffic Management was pursued in court to recover funds.

David Hodgson and Andrew Hewitt of insolvency firm Grant Thornton are the joint liquidators.

“Everyone just got fired today, no pre-warning or anything,” Damon Douglas, one impacted worker, told 7NEWS.

“Effective end of all shifts today, your employment with ATM shall cease,” the text message, shared with 7News, reportedly read.

Advanced Traffic Management had a head office in Perth but also offered services in Kalgoorlie, Albany, Northam, Bunbury, Kalgoorlie and Kwinana.

Devastated staff console each other.

Staff were told they’d lost their jobs over text.

Staff learned they were terminated, effective immediately.

All scheduled work for the company was also immediately stopped.

Advanced Traffic Management is believed to have held contracts for a number of major projects including the Western Australian government’s $165 million Stephenson Avenue extension project on the Mitchell Freeway in Perth’s north.

It also had a contract to support Main Roads WA until September 2024.

On 6PR Radio, the Construction, Forestry, Maritime, Mining And Energy Union threw their support behind impacted workers.

Its chief secretary Mick Buchan said what had happened was “disgraceful”.

“We call on the state government to finally wake up and address this disgraceful position before us and insist the principal contractor … employ these traffic controllers directly on industry rates of pay and conditions,” he added.

Workers will receive all their entitlements under a government scheme that covers staff in the event of a company collapse.

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Advanced Traffic Management carried out traffic control on major infrastructure projects in the state.

400 people have been left unemployed from the company’s demise.

It comes as a number of other employees have been left reeling from job losses as companies in the construction sector continue to drop like flies.

Earlier on Wednesday, news.com.au revealed that 70 people had lost their jobs at a construction-related company called HME Services.

Then on Tuesday, news.com.au revealed that 14 plumbers lost their jobs after the Victorian-based company, JL Plumbing & Drainage, went into liquidation.

Earlier this month, news.com.au reported that C & S Plumbing had gone broke, resulting in all 70 employees at the Victorian plumbing firm becoming unemployed.

Meanwhile, Richstone Group, another plumbing firm, cut all 150 employees from their roles after a restructuring attempt failed.

On top of that, seven drivers and operators also joined the ranks of the unemployed at limo company Brunel Chauffeur Drive and Limousines when it too went into liquidation.

Originally published as Collapse of WA traffic company leaves 400 workers unemployed