AUWU calls for boycott of Superior People, launches “dob in a dobseeker”
The AUWU is committed to holding anyone who uses the “Dobline” accountable for the harm they’re needlessly causing unemployed workers.
We are appalled at media reports today of labour hire firm Superior People boss Graham Wynn gloating about dobbing jobseekers into Stuart Robert’s punitive Employer Reporting hotline.
AUWU are calling on members to avoid using Superior People’s service for their own safety, and to spread the word to their friends. Such callous disregard for the welfare of the most vulnerable Australians is absolutely unacceptable.
In direct response to this, AUWU is today launching our own "dobseeker" line.
Jobseekers can email dobseeker@auwu.org.au to let us know if they believe a labour hire, recruitment firm or other entity has tried to dob them in for submitting a "fake" job application, or otherwise policed their attempt to gain employment. We will be compiling this evidence as it comes in and naming and shaming via our twitter account.
When the government unveiled the “Dobseeker” hotline, we predicted exactly this happening: scumbags taking the opportunity to hunt welfare recipients for sport. Here is Mr Wynn doing exactly this, from a media report at a publication not worthy of naming:
Mr Wynn said his agency has dobbed in 2,000 welfare cheats in the past two months.
'I've been getting these [resumes] for many, many years. And it's increased dramatically since Covid kicked in,' he said.
'Since the 8th of February, nearly 2,000 people we've reported to Centrelink, in our opinion, is not a serious attempt to find work, 'It's just to fulfil my obligation, I've applied for a job, I get my money'."
In direct response to these disgraceful comments,we called up Superior People to speak to Graham Wynn. He was unapologetic about using the “Dobseeker” hotline and stated he will continue to use it.
We pointed out that there were many times more unemployed people than there were advertised jobs.
We pointed out that JobSeeker is half the poverty line and his actions would hurt the most vulnerable.
We pointed out JSPs tell people to apply for anything.
We pointed out he was under absolutely no legal obligation whatsoever to use the dobseeker line.
He didn’t care.
He claimed people were applying for jobs and saying they didn’t want to work but had to apply for ‘mutual’ obligations. We don’t believe it.
He could give no good reason why he was using the “Dobseeker” line and absolved himself of any responsibility by saying he just reported people and it was up to the JSP to decide whether any further action was taken.
The AUWU is committed to holding Wynn – and anyone else who uses the “Dobline” – accountable for the harm they’re needlessly causing unemployed workers.
Media contact: Jez Heywood / media at auwu.org.au
Sign up to receive AUWU statements in your inbox as soon as they are published.