Qld politics: Public servants ripped off in multimillion-dollar blunder

A Queensland government-owned corporation is facing a multimillion-dollar bill to compensate 150 underpaid workers.

The Services Union claims 150 roles have been affected. (File picture)

Government-owned green energy corporation CleanCo faces a multimillion-dollar bill to repay 150 underpaid workers.

The Courier-Mail can reveal the underpayment was first raised by workers in June 2024 when a new enterprise agreement came into effect.

It prompted CleanCo to formally notify unions and the Fair Work Ombudsman in January.

The underpayment relates to how roles are classified under the Brisbane enterprise agreement.

CleanCo was formed by the then Labor government in 2018 to “make power bills cheaper” by investing in renewable energy assets.

It operates four assets, Wivenhoe Pumped Hydro, Swanbank E, Kareeya Hydro and Barron Gorge Hydro.

The government-owned corporation said remediation would be backdated, including interest and superannuation.

The extent of the underpayment is yet to be determined, but sources familiar with the issue say remediation could cost CleanCo several million dollars.

A CleanCo spokesman said the estimated liability was considered material but manageable within the corporation’s operating budget.

While The Services Union says about 150 workers have been affected by the underpayment, CleanCo says 67 affected roles have been identified but work continues to determine the final number.

“CleanCo engaged independent experts to review its methodology in late 2024 after employees raised questions regarding their individual salary point classifications,” a spokesman said.

“A revised classification methodology, developed in consultation with employees and unions, is currently being finalised.

“Where errors were made using the prior methodology employees will be remediated, including backpay, superannuation and interest.”

The Services Union Secretary Neil Henderson said some worker pay classifications did not align with the correct level under the agreement, nor with how comparable roles were classified across the energy industry.

“While it initially took some time for the organisation to understand the issue, to its credit, CleanCo has listened to our concerns and is now taking steps to rectify the matter in consultation with us,” he said.

“Things are moving in the right direction.

“While our union is proud of prompting this action, we acknowledge CleanCo has taken responsibility, responded transparently, and is genuinely working to address the problem.”

The enterprise agreement review is ongoing and is expected to be finalised later this year.

Originally published as Qld politics: Public servants ripped off in multimillion-dollar blunder