Future cloudy for West Gate tunnel workers sacked due to soil contamination

The Andrews government has held discussions about the future of the $6.7bn project amid the sacking of 137 workers.

Security guards keep watch at the entrance to the West Gate Tunnel project site at Yarraville before this morning's employee lay-offs. Picture: Andrew Henshaw

The Andrews government has held discussions about the future of the $6.7bn West Gate Tunnel project with toll road company Transurban, amid the sacking of 137 workers and ongoing delays due to soil contamination.

Transport Infrastructure Minister Jacinta Allan said she had expressed her “frustration and disappointment” in a phone conversation on Thursday morning with Scott Charlton, the head of Transurban, which is delivering the project with builders CPB Contractors and John Holland.

Tunnelling, which had been scheduled to begin in July last year, is yet to start on the project.

The project is due to be completed by 2022, as a dispute over who should carry the costs of dealing with the contaminated soil continues.

“This is an incredibly disappointing decision, and I’m disappointed and can I also say angry, at the decision that has been taken today and confirmed today, and I’ve expressed directly my frustration and disappointment with the head of Transurban,” Ms Allan said.

She said she had also given Australian Workers’ Union Victorian Secretary Ben Davis assurances that the government would do what it could to support the workers to find jobs on other Victorian infrastructure projects.

“The government has made its view very clear that it was our expectation that these workers should be accommodated within the project itself, and considering that there’s over 4,000 people working on this project right now on the West Gate Tunnel, there could have been opportunities for the workers to be maintained on the project or within the many other projects that CPB and John Holland are working on in Victoria right now,” Ms Allan said.

Asked to respond to a sacked worker’s comment that “pigs might fly”, when he was asked whether the project would be completed by 2022, Ms Allan said the government had a contract with Transurban and its builders to deliver the West Gate Tunnel by the end of 2022.

“The government’s expectation and requirement under the contract is that that date be met,” Ms Allan said.

She said the contract included penalties if the project was not delivered on time.

Ms Allan said it was the responsibility of Transurban, CPB and John Holland to deal with the contaminated soil.

“It’s stipulated very clearly in the contract that it’s a responsibility of the builders and Transurban to manage this issue that has been identified,” she said.

“The EPA have made a statement and have been very clear that there has been no policy change on this matter. We want to see this issue … resolved within the requirements set out in the contract.”

Mr Davis said the AWU was doing everything it could to get as many workers as possible redeployed onto other projects, including the Metro Rail Tunnel and interstate tunnelling projects.

“It’s obviously been a terrible day,” Mr Davis said.

“These jobs should not have gone. These workers are being used as cannon fodder in a commercial dispute between the builder, the client and the state government.”

Mr David accused Transurban, CPB and John Holland of using “cowboy” negotiation tactics.

“As we saw with the Metro Tunnel before Christmas, where as part of a commercial dispute they stopped the tunnelling for a couple of days, we’re now seeing similar on the West Gate Tunnel,” he said.

“They knew about the issues around contaminated soil six months ago.

“They should have gone and found at least a short term solution while they worked on a longer term solution and they haven’t, and as a result 137 people have lost their jobs today, many of whom have uprooted their lives to move here from interstate on the understanding that they’d be employed on this project for a good two or three years. Now they’re being sacked before the tunnelling’s even started.

“The tunnel’s due to be finished in 2022. Given that the project’s now six months behind, and the tunnelling hasn’t started, I think this is highly unlikely to be finished on time.”

In December tunnel boring machines working on the $11bn Melbourne Metro rail project ground to a halt for several days, amid a dispute between the Andrews government and construction companies over cost blowouts.

A spokeswoman for Transurban said major works were continuing on the West Gate Tunnel project with around 4,000 people on the job, including around-the-clock work to build new ramps and widen the West Gate Freeway.

“The CPB John Holland Joint Venture has been working through a consultation process with affected tunnelling workers and is looking to support people wherever possible through redeployment or redundancies,” the spokeswoman said.

“We’re committed to delivering this project safely and as quickly as possible and continue to work with all project parties and EPA Victoria to finalise plans for tunnelling and soil disposal.”

Transurban, which is investing $4bn in the West Gate Tunnel, stands to generate additional CityLink toll revenue of $37.3bn by 2044-45 under its deal with the Andrews government to deliver the project.

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