The hospitality app some businesses use to cover shifts without paying super
A hospitality jobs marketplace that boasts thousands of users might be incorrectly labelling workers, a legal expert says, as the Fair Work Ombudsman tells workers to report any concerns.
Hospitality businesses using the Supp app to handle shifts might be failing to provide proper entitlements like superannuation to their workers. The Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating the app. Supp's CEO denies the app misrepresents working relationships. You can anonymously report potential issues to the ombudsman. The Fair Work Ombudsman will examine Supp after a worker raised concerns about misclassification.
Supp positions itself as a recruitment app for the hospitality industry, operated since 2017. Workers on the platform are referred to as "independent contractors" and are responsible for meeting their own tax and superannuation obligations. Rather than businesses paying workers via a traditional payroll system, Supp manages payments on their behalf.
Employment lawyer Fay Calderone warns that this arrangement could leave workers without their rightful entitlements, including superannuation. The Fair Work Ombudsman spokesperson stated they cannot comment further and encourages affected workers to contact them directly. Supp claims to have links with 15,000 venues and over 200,000 workers across Melbourne, Sydney, Los Angeles, and New York City.
A Melbourne-based worker, who wished to remain anonymous, believes their work aligns with that of an employee, not a contractor. Calderone emphasizes several factors to determine if a worker is a genuine contractor or an employee, including control, independent business operation, delegation of work, and bearing commercial risk.
In July 2022, the minimum income threshold for superannuation became applicable to all employees over 18, regardless of earnings. Supp's CEO insists the platform is not responsible for paying superannuation, emphasizing that businesses using the app are liable for their legal obligations towards engaged workers. Worker Daniel McBurnie, who has used Supp since 2021, expresses concern about thousands of workers potentially missing out on building their retirement savings.
Written by urgent.news from ABC News AU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
