By ALESHA CAPONE
MORE than 60 workers at a trucking company’s Laverton North branch have lost their jobs.
Last week the Wettenhalls Group, which employs 450 people nation-wide, was placed into receivership and appointed BDO Chartered Accountants as administrators.
The Wettenhalls Group has a site in Dohertys Rd, Laverton North.
Transport Workers Union (TWU) state secretary Wayne Mader said the union contacted Wettenhalls after learning of the receivership.
Mr Mader said the Wettenhalls Express division in Laverton North was shut down by the administrators last Tuesday.
Some 63 workers at the site have been made redundant.
“The administrators have shut it (Wettenhalls Express) down and said there are no more funds available to pay unpaid wages, accrued annual leave, termination or redundancy pay,” Mr Mader said.
“We’ll be working with those people who lost their jobs to get entitlements from the Federal Government’s Fair Entitlements Guarantee (FEG).”
Mr Mader said more than 125 people across Australia have lost their jobs as a result of the Wettenhalls collapse.
However he said the FEG does not protect worker’s unpaid superannuation – and the Wettenhalls Group has not paid many employee’s voluntary contributions to their super accounts.
“So that has been lost unless there are sufficient funds from the sale of the company to pay creditors and employees,” Mr Mader said.
“I think it’s time the government looked at better protecting worker’s superannuation.”
Star contacted the Wettenhalls’ media representative but did not receive a response.
