By LAURA WAKELY
WORKERS in the West were dealt another blow when 150 jobs were cut from 1st Fleet in Sunshine last week.
Workers turned up to the transport depot in Vella Drive on Thursday morning to find the gates locked and their jobs gone.
The company went into voluntary administration on Anzac Day and stopped trade just before midnight on Wednesday 2 May.
Administrators de Vries Tayeh released a statement which explained funding was not extended as 1st Fleet Group’s directors were unable to meet pre-arranged commitments.
“Without this line of funding the business could not continue,” the statement read.
“This is a regrettable outcome but de Vries Tayeh are working closely with the Transport Workers Union to assist 1st Fleet’s workforce in being placed with other employment.”
Transport Workers’ Union (TWU) national secretary Tony Sheldon hit back with a statement of his own, calling the job losses a “tragedy”.
“Many owner-drivers with 1st Fleet have been unpaid for more than eight weeks and they now face an uphill struggle to secure what they are owed from creditors,” Mr Sheldon said.
“Employees with 1st Fleet will be required to wait several weeks until they can secure their entitlements. Since the administration was announced last week, the workforce has been provided with little or no information.”
He said TWU would fight for workers’ rights and entitlements.
As Star went to print de Vries Tayeh was “in negotiations” with parties interested in taking part of the 1st Fleet business.
