One of WA's largest builders, Cooper and Oxley, has been criticised by the state's premier for "rotten" behaviour in barring subcontractors from building sites to collect equipment as the embattled company reviews its financial viability.
There were heated scenes on some Perth sites as tradesmen trying to collect tools and machinery were met by locked gates and security guards.
Those same subcontractors are also owed large sums of money by Cooper and Oxley.
The company suspended operations this week as it decides whether to go into voluntary administration.
Ceiling fixer and father of five Jake Tomlinson found an opening through a fence with co-workers and snuck in to collect valuable machinery.
"We asked, we pleaded with them quite nicely," he told reporters.
"We ended up getting them and striking a deal to let them take photos and gave them photo ID to prove we took what we took."
Another worker, carpenter Henry Weldon, says Cooper and Oxley have always paid punctually before this week, but says he is owed $80,000.
He was unsure what the future held for his business, which has employed eight to 15 people in more than two years operating.
"We've put a bit of a crisis plan together, we have projects in the pipeline where we should be able to continue employing our core crew but it is still going to be a tough quarter at least," he told ABC radio.
It was the third time in less than three years he had been caught out by companies going under, saying it was happening increasingly in WA and more needed to be done to prevent it and protect subcontractors.
Mr Tomlinson said he realised this week he had few rights as a subcontractor compared to an employee in terms of getting paid.
WA Premier Mark McGowan said he thought locking gates and stopping people from getting their tools looked bad and he could understand if they were upset.
"It struck me as a pretty rotten thing to do," he told reporters.
He said he was committed to expanding the use of project bank accounts, which would protect subcontractors, and was setting up an advisory group.
But that would only apply to government projects.
Cooper and Oxley, which ordered sub-contractors to stop work this week, did not respond to requests for a comment.
Sandy Randall, compliance director at the WA Building Commission, said Cooper and Oxley had met its legal obligations so far in informing the commission of its issues.
She also urged caution about introducing subcontractors protections that went too far and might stifle or shackle business and hurt economic growth.
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