Telstra has been accused of deliberate delaying the national broadband network rollout to see who wins the federal election.

Telstra ordered a stop to remediation work on its cement pits after unions raised concerns in May that untrained labourers were working with asbestos.

One of the exposed pits in Penrith, NSW. Credit:Tamara Dean

Now the same officials from the Communications, Electrical and Plumbing Union claim subcontractors for both Telstra and NBN Co have been unnecessarily deprived of work for nine weeks.

A Telstra spokeswoman denied the allegations, saying the safety of workers and contractors was a priority – "something we thought the unions would have supported us on"