Arabic version: عاملون عبر «ساب» يثيرون مخاوف بشأن استحقاقات قطاع الضيافة
According to The Guardian, concerns have been raised that workers using the hospitality recruitment app Supp may miss out on entitlements, including superannuation, because they are hired as independent contractors. Supp requires workers to hold an Australian business number and describes them as individual contractors rather than casual employees for businesses using the platform.
Launched in Melbourne in 2017, Supp calls itself a jobs marketplace where hospitality businesses advertise shifts at an hourly rate and workers secure ad-hoc employment. Created by Kate and Cameron Reid, owners of Lune Croissanterie, the platform has expanded across Australia and the US. The company says it has been used by about 15,000 venues and 200,000 workers. Businesses pay workers through the app, while Supp adds a 12% service-fee surcharge.
Daniel McBurnie said he obtained shifts through Supp from 2021, including bartending, popcorn-selling, front-of-house and table-waiting work. He said he was engaged as an individual contractor by 15 companies and was not paid superannuation for any of those shifts. McBurnie said workers were not setting their rates or hours and were reporting to supervisors and carrying out delegated tasks.
Supp chief executive Jordan Murray rejected suggestions that the platform misrepresented working relationships and denied sham contracting allegations. He said the company engaged constructively with regulators and would adapt its platform as the law evolved. Cameron Reid said Lune regularly used Supp and was confident in the platform because of its legal compliance reviews, regulator work, insurance and support.
Workers’ rights experts said the label applied by an app was not determinative. Maurice Blackburn senior associate Imogen Szumer said that where workers attended shifts set by a business, used its equipment and worked under its control, a court might find they were casual employees. The Fair Work Ombudsman declined to comment on Supp specifically and encouraged workers with concerns to contact it or their union.
