Nightcliff cafe deli Porkin’ on the edge, irate staff owed tens of thousands in missed super
Four staff of the wobbling business, which went into hiatus last week, have shared evidence they are collectively owed about $27,000. The directors claim staff will be paid what they are owed.
Business
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Staff have reacted with white-hot fury at revelations they are owed tens of thousands in missed superannuation payments from a deli-cafe in Darwin’s northern suburbs that went on hiatus last week, as its owners consider their next move.
This masthead can exclusively reveal Nightcliff’s Porkin’, which opened in mid 2022 at the Aralia St shops, closed last Sunday until further notice (the dormant business was subsequently the victim of a ram raid on Wednesday night).
The business, which is owned and operated by chef Ryan Hamilton and accountant Manfred Mletsin, is yet to formally announce the trading cessation on its social media channels, although A4 signs have been placed around the premises.
This masthead has learnt staff are owed tens of thousands in unpaid superannuation, with missed and incorrect payments commencing shortly after the business opened.
Four ex-employees of the business – it’s believed between 12 to 15 worked at Porkin’ at any given time – have shared documentary evidence illustrating the scale of their losses, which collectively totalled at least $27,194.74.
One employee is owed $8,244.21 for the period up to December 31, 2023 – the debt has been confirmed by the Australian Taxation Office – and says they are owed more for 2024, with only $1,101.88 transferred to their account this calendar year.
Another employee is owed $3,976.22 over the same period – that debt has also been confirmed by the ATO.
A third employee shared pay slips illustrating they should have been paid superannuation worth $13,074.17, but said they had only received $2,128.31 over the course of their employment.
A fourth employee’s pay slips showed they were owed $4,927.52 over the course of their employment, but only $899.07 was paid into their nominated superannuation account, according to separate screenshots.
When contacted, the directors declined to reveal exactly how much staff were owed.
Mr Hamilton said the business’ next steps were being contemplated.
“We don’t have a full clear picture on this, we’re looking in many different directions,” he said.
“We’ve put our hearts and souls and made a lot of sacrifices in the business.”
He said the closure of Porkin’ was only temporary at this stage.
Mr Mletsin, who claimed several operators had expressed interest in taking on Porkin’, said the employees had “good prospects” of eventually seeing their balances restored.
“Staff have been advised they will be paid and they shouldn’t be worried they won’t be paid,” he said.
“Everything has been reported to the ATO [Australian Taxation Office].
“The matter is being addressed in accordance with all regulatory requirements.”
Mr Mletsin claimed the company was in the process of paying off the debt with the ATO, which levies a super guarantee charge (the missing super plus a penalty) on non-compliant businesses that get found out, although staff say if the debt is being repaid, it has not hit their accounts.
Two of the employees agreed to speak on condition of anonymity.
They said the non-payment of superannuation only came to light in late 2023.
“Our pay slips always had the amount of super paid at the bottom,” one of the pair said.
“However, that money was not actually being paid, which is why people did not notice unless they were actually checking their super accounts.”
The two employees said they considered Mr Mletsin to be the more culpable of the directors because he largely controlled the purse strings.
Mr Mletsin holds a Bachelor of Accounting and is CEO of Darwin-based financial services outfit SAMAF Consultants, as well as providing part-time accounting services to Neami International, which operates the Head to Health clinic at Casuarina.
“Manfred is an accountant so he was in charge of paying the suppliers and the staff. Ryan was more behind the ideas and events in the shop,” one of the staffers said.
However, Mr Hamilton, the chef, did not escape their ire.
“He was also our employer and was aware we were not being paid our super, however, he did not fight for us,” they said.
According to the other employee spoken to by this masthead, after the missed superannuation payments came to light in about October last year, there was a “big meeting” in which staff were promised the missing payments would be fixed “straight away”.
The employee said at this meeting Mr Mletsin urged staff not to report the business to the ATO.
They complied for a time, but after it became clear payments were still being withheld, a number lodged claims with the ATO.
The two employees said they had hardly seen Mr Mletsin at the business since mid-2024, leaving his co-director Mr Hamilton to face the wrath of his staff alone.
“He just left Porkin’ and did not tell us anything what is going on with the super,” one of the employees said.
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