An online union for hospitality workers has been launched amid growing concern about wage theft and worker exploitation.

The union, called Hospo Voice, was formed in response to the transient nature of work in the restaurant and bar sector. The industry employs a high proportion of backpackers and migrant workers, making it difficult for unions to organise workers and deal with allegations of wage theft.

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A survey of 624 workers conducted by United Voice last year estimated 76% of hospitality businesses were underpaying their staff. In recent months, high-profile restaurants have become embroiled in wage theft scandals involving allegations of underpayment of workers, including Bar Coluzzi in Sydney and Vue de Monde in Melbourne.

Hospo Voice is being run by United Voice with backing from the Australian Council of Trade Unions. The online union is being piloted in Victoria, but hopes to expand across Australia. Members have access to digital tools to check how much they should be getting paid, a tracking tool to record and prove hours worked and a harassment diary to keep track of workplace bullying.

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“Endemic wage theft and sexual harassment have prompted hospitality workers from bars, cafes and restaurants to come together and fight to change their industry,” United Voice said. “Hospitality has a young, transient and casual workforce often working in small, single-site venues. These workers have often felt powerless, disposable and unable to unionise. But the internet and social media have changed the game.”

Ruby Lethbridge, a 19-year-old university student, works casually as a waiter, barista and bartender in Melbourne’s outer eastern suburbs. Her boss recently told staff that half of the cost of any meals mistakenly put through the register would be docked from their wages.

“It hasn’t gone down well with staff at all,” Lethbridge told Guardian Australia. “I’ve talked to lots of fellow staff members and we’re all aware that this is illegal.

“I and others I work with are getting dramatically underpaid about $9 under the award rate; we are paid in cash and are not given penalty or holiday rates. Previous staff have requested wage increases, which have never been granted, and the owners say they simply can’t afford to pay us any more, although they have recently opened a new restaurant and bought a new delivery car.”

Lethbridge said while she had considered leaving and had applied for other jobs, other hospitality jobs were similar.

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“I have since been in contact with United Voice and hope to make a pay dispute complaint for backpay,” she said. Lethbridge said she also wanted to complain that she had not been paid any superannuation for the past seven months.

She is one of dozens of people to have contacted Guardian Australia in recent weeks with stories of wage theft. Robert Li said his wife received $10 per hour working in a Chinese restaurant. He said there were too many “creative” ways for employers to steal wages.

Li believes payrolls and salaries for the hospitality industry should be outsourced to an independent third party responsible for paying wages and monitoring hours worked.

“I understand it may mean rising costs for restaurants, but currently it is the employer that benefits the most from the wage theft and they should be held accountable for that,” he said.

