Traffic controllers on Canberra's light rail extension project have faced underpayments worth more than $20 a week while working for a subcontractor excluded from the project under the ACT's procurement system, a union says.
The Construction, Forestry and Maritime Employees Union (CFMEU) said up to 75 workers had been left out of pocket by Altus Traffic Pty Ltd and workers' payslips had shown their hourly rate was more than 50 cents below the award minimum.
Work on the $577 million light rail extension construction site in Canberra's city centre was disrupted in August when Altus Traffic's Secure Local Jobs Code certificate was found to have expired.
CFMEU ACT branch assistant secretary Michael Hiscox said the identification of underpayments showed the value of the Secure Local Jobs Code.
"Altus Traffic have told Canberrans they only deserve the bare minimum yet they couldn't even deliver that. This is a classic example of why we need a Secure Jobs Code in place to protect local workers and honest employers," Mr Hiscox said.
"Anyone who worked for Altus Traffic on the light rail 2A [site] should immediately find their pay slips and reach out to their union and the Fair Work Ombudsman to help recover any lost earnings."
Companies working on ACT government projects need to hold a Secure Local Jobs Code certificate.
Certificates are issued to companies that can demonstrate they "meet industrial relations, fair treatment of workers, work health and safety and diversity and inclusion standards,", the government says.
Companies seeking a new or renewed certificate must submit a completed audit along with their application to the code's registrar, who issues certificates within five business days of receiving valid applications.
The Canberra Times contacted Altus Traffic for comment on Monday.
The CFMEU said it had written to Canberra Metro requesting they commission a full audit of Altus Traffic's compliance with industrial laws and a review of the rates actually paid to Altus' workers to identify any underpayments that need to be corrected.
The union said it had been shown casual workers' payslips where the hourly rate was $35.22, below the award minimum of $35.78.
"On an average week, this left workers with $21.28 less than the minimum pay, and $1106.56 under the minimum each year," the union said.
The workers are covered by the Building and Construction General On-site Award, which classifies traffic controllers as CW2 workers.
The minimum rate for those workers is $28.62 but casual staff are paid a 25 per cent loading, taking the minimum hourly rate to $35.78.
The $35.22 hourly rate shown on payslips seen by the CFMEU is equivalent to a loading of about 23 per cent on top of the award minimum hourly rate.
The union said it had previously worked to recoup $700,000 in unpaid wages for workers on the first stage of the light rail project in 2018.
"While CFMEU recouped those lost earnings for workers, that incident was one of many that sparked calls for the implementation of the Secure Jobs Code put in place to protect local workers," the union said.
The government has commissioned a review of the Secure Local Jobs Code, which will also be examined by a Legislative Assembly inquiry, and ministers have defended it against recent political attacks.
The opposition called for it to be scrapped after the Integrity Commission in July released its findings from Operation Kingfisher, which found corruption in a school expansion procurement process as a result of efforts to curry favour with the CFMEU; the union was found to have attempted to circumvent the code.
But Integrity Commissioner Michael Adams KC said the Secure Local Jobs Code "does seem to be a reasonable approach to a difficult problem".
