Fair tips: Stop scamming staff call

A new survey has revealed that nearly nine out of 10 people want the government to introduce legislation preventing rip-off restaurant bosses scamming staff out of their tips.

Around 600 people responded to the survey, conducted by Unite and the TUC’s Going to Work campaign, with 89 per cent saying they want the government’s updated tipping code made into law.

The survey backs up 2009 research that found one in five restaurants did not pass tips to their staff, despite the overwhelming majority of customers who were asked saying they wanted staff to receive tips left for them.

The survey’s findings have been submitted to the government’s consultation on unfair tipping practises, set up after Unite’s long running Fair Tips campaign prompted an investigation into the scandal.

The shady practises, such as deducting administration fees, pocketing service charges, skimming tips from credit cards and using tips to pay for breakages, short tills and thefts, happen at some of the UK’s largest and most popular food chains.

Unite regional officer Dave Turnbull said, “We have always said that tackling the shameful tip scams used by some restaurants would need the support of law to make it happen.

Crying out

“The findings of our survey show beyond doubt that customers and staff alike are crying out for an end to the unfair tipping practices and the lack of transparency that has been allowed to flourish unchecked.”

Of the 587 people questioned, 94 per cent said the government’s new tipping code should be mandatory for employers, while 89 per cent said echoed Unite’s call for legislation that ensures staff get 100 percent ownership rights over their tips.

Less than 25 per cent of the people surveyed supported the government’s proposals to cap the amount employers can deduct from staff tips and just two percent said restaurants should be able to add service charges – which often don’t go to staff –  without restrictions.

Turnbull said, “Over 500 people used words such as ‘immoral’, ‘unethical’, ‘appalling’ and ‘wrong’ when asked what they thought of restaurants taking a portion of the tips that they left for staff.

Although the Unite’s Fair Tips campaign has seen victories against major chains, such as Pizza Express agreeing to scrap an eight percent admin fee charged on tips paid by card, Turnbull said industry-wide change can only be brought about through new legislation.

“Unite has been campaigning for fair tips for many years now, we have always said that the surest way to eliminate confusion about tips is to introduce primary legislation to make it clear that money left by customers for staff belong to staff with no deductions by management,” he said.

“Now the government needs to heed this warning and introduce clear and mandatory rules to ensure that restaurants are completely transparent about the allocation of tips to different grades of staff and accept that workers should keep all their tips.”