Rail workers have accreditation revoked as allegations about rorts on Vic major projects probed

More than 30 rail safety workers have had their accreditation revoked and dozens more could have their employee cards cut up as explosive allegations about rorts on major projects are probed.

Premier Daniel Andrews at the Glenhuntly level crossing removal site. Insiders have lifted the lid on alleged rorts on some Big Build projects. Picture: Luis Ascui

More than 30 rail safety workers have had their national accreditation revoked while explosive allegations about multimillion dollar rorts on Victorian major projects are probed.

And dozens more could also have their Rail Industry Worker cards cut up this week, stopping them from working on the rails while investigations continue.

As revealed by the Herald Sun, insiders have lifted the lid on a series of alleged rorts on Big Build projects, such as the $13bn Metro Tunnel and the level crossing removal program. This includes that at least one company rostered “ghost shifts” – where workers don’t turn up but builders are billed for the work anyway – and that workers were moved between sites part-way through rostered shifts to enable companies to invoice for both shifts.

Labour hire firm Morson International is at the centre of allegations, and has been banned from the Big Build and network infrastructure projects while investigations by the national safety regulator and network operator Metro Trains are finalised.

Premier Daniel Andrews inspects the Town Hall Station site of Melbourne’s Metro Tunnel. Picture: Nicki Connolly

Most of the 200-plus workers on Morson’s books were expected to transfer to other subcontractors once the ban was enacted by Metro earlier this week. However, it can now be revealed that between 30 and 40 Rail Industry Worker cards — Australasian Railway Association accreditation required to work along rail corridors in Victoria – have been revoked during preliminary investigations.

This week secretary of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union, Vik Sharma, wrote to members saying some workers “have been caught up in the fall out” from the Morson probe.

Insiders say they expect at least 50 people to be impacted by cards being blocked, although this doesn’t mean all of those workers necessarily rorted the system.

“Some people would have been shifted around to different sites (by senior staff) and wouldn’t have had a clue what was going on,” one insider said.

The Glen Huntly level crossing removal site. Picture: Luis Ascui

The Herald Sun sent a series of questions about further detailed allegations of rorting and poor behaviour to the Major Transport Infrastructure Authority and Metro Trains this week, including about individuals believed to have been ringleaders in the “ghost shift” scheme. It has also received information about another company alleged to have engaged in “double dipping”, by charging builders for two concurrent shifts even though the same worker was at both sites.

A Metro Trains spokesperson said that while allegations were being reviewed “it would be inappropriate to comment further”.

A spokesperson for the MTIA, which oversees taxpayer-funded infrastructure projects, said it did not want to pre-empt investigations by building partners but that “we take claims of this nature seriously”.