Builders on West Gate Tunnel warn hundreds of workers could be stood down over soil dispute

Hundreds of workers on the West Gate Tunnel are set to be stood down after the builders behind the $6.7 billion project threatened to cut staff over landfill costs.

Hundreds of workers on the West Gate Tunnel are set to be stood down after the builders behind the $6.7 billion project threatened to cut staff over landfill costs.

In an escalation of a long-running dispute, CPB and John Holland have told the Andrews Government it wants to sack up to 600 workers over the next two months.

It warned the decision was linked to higher costs on the project and a landfill levy for soil currently being stored along parts the West Gate Freeway.

It is believed more than 100 staff could be stood down this week.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan slammed the decision as “disgraceful”.

“There is no reason whatsoever for Transurban’s builders CPB and John Holland to sack these workers,” she said.

“The stockpiles of soil currently on site can be moved immediately – the builder has all the necessary EPA Approvals to take this soil to licenced landfill sites.

“While businesses across Australia are going to extraordinary lengths to keep staff on – Transurban’s builders are proposing to sack up to 600 people because they can’t agree who should pay tip fees – it’s disgraceful.”

It comes after Transurban last month revealed the project’s completion had been pushed back from 2022 to 2023.

Major digging works have been delayed since last year because of difficulties finding a suitable dumping site for soil contaminated with industrial chemical PFAS.

Maddingley Brown Coal is negotiation over a proposal to take most of the dirt but this has sparked a backlash from Bacchus Marsh resident groups and a nearby school.

A Transurban spokeswoman urged CPB and John Holland to keep the workers in a job.

“The CPB John Holland Joint Venture has a fixed price, fixed time contract to deliver the West Gate Tunnel Project including responsibility for all staffing, construction and tunnelling works,” she said.

“We are extremely disappointed the CPB John Holland Joint Venture is taking these steps when there are options to keep staff employed.

“We are determined to deliver Melbourne its much-needed alternative to the West Gate Bridge and continuing to work collaboratively with the Government and the CPB John Holland Joint Venture to achieve this.”

Other parts of the project have continued but two tunnel boring machines are yet to start digging the tunnel the new road will run through.

CPB and John Holland had already stood down more than 137 tunnelling workers and vowed to rip up its contract over rising costs created by the toxic soil delays.

It is understood the soil involved at the centre of the latest scandal has already has approval from the EPA and to be safely dumped.

Dirt with similar levels of contamination from along Footscray Rd has previously been sent to a licensed landfill under similar guidelines.