CFMEU: Win for Canberra 457 workers

The CFMEU has achieved an interim settlement for a group of workers on 457 visas employed as construction workers on various Canberra sites.

Workers will be paid an interim payment while calculations are undertaken to establish the quantum of underpayments to each worker.

The workers, employed by K.P. Painting Pty Ltd were underpaid by hundreds of dollars per week, forced to work unpaid overtime and did not receive other legal entitlements covered by Australian law.

Some of the workers had not been paid any wages for up to six weeks.

CFMEU Construction Division National Secretary Dave Noonan said that it was great that the Union had managed to gain better conditions for these workers, but that it wasn’t always this easy.

“Cases like these show that some employers do abuse the system, and that workers on temporary visa arrangements are particularly vulnerable to exploitation.

“The CFMEU will continue to fight to ensure justice for 457 visa workers who are being mistreated and underpaid.

“But the 457 visa worker scheme remains major concern for the construction industry as it is wide to open the abuse and underpayment of workers – that’s why the scheme is a focus of the CFMEU’s national The Mining Boom: Let’s Spread It Around campaign.

"Abuse and underpayment of 457 visa holders also puts decent employers who do the right thing in regard to workers entitlements at a massive competitive disadvantage compared to those companies which rort the system.

“We are concerned that the cases coming to light are only the tip of the iceberg - if it were not for the courage of a number of individuals who blew the whistle in this case, these workers would not have been able to resolve the issue,” said Mr Noonan.