This article is from the Australian Property Journal archive
SUB-CONTRACTOR Bettaplex has initiated legal proceedings against Harry Triguboff's company, Meriton.
Bettaplex has taken the next step after 200 of its worker were locked out of three major Meriton sites – Valentino Place in Rosebury, New South Wales and A2 Southpork and Pegasus Broadbeach on the Gold Coast, following a payment dispute.
Bettaplex had stop work on the sites last Tuesday, alleging that it is owed more than $1 million by Meriton.
Bettaplex’s managing director Tony Di Carlo Meriton said the dispute would put his company under immense financial strain.
“We want to stay on the job and finish. We work for all the major builders and we’ve never had these problems, ever,” he added.
Meriton refuted Bettaplex’s claims. In a statement, Meriton said Bettaplex’s allegations of monies owed were incorrect.
Meriton said it has fully paid all payments due, over $15 million, for all work to date on each of these sites, adding that Bettaplex’s demands for millions of dollars in additional payments were above the agreed contract prices, which had led the company to terminate the contracts.
Meanwhile, the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union said workers risked losing their entitlements if the dispute continues.
CFMEU said workers would continue to protest at the site gates and called on the Federal Government to secure the workers’ entitlements if Bettaplex went into liquidation.
Meriton said while the obligation to meet workers’ entitlement rests with Bettaplex, but it “will do whatever it can to minimise the impact of this dispute on the workers.”
Australian Property Journal
