A new private members Bill which will be heard in September says it aims to ensure fairness for hospitality staff.
Government Consultation
The issue of legislating around tips has been discussed for many years now. In 2015 the Government launched a consultation into tipping practices.
Voluntary Code of Practice
A Voluntary Code of Practice was introduced by UKHospitality in 2017 over a year after the Government’s consultation closed – no response was ever issued. The Code which was introduced to promote good practice across the industry. It can be found here.
Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill
It was hoped that the Code would remove the need for the Government to legislate, however, in Autumn 2019 the new Employment (Allocation of Tips) Bill was announced in the Queen’s speech. This bill was to ensure that all workers in restaurants, bars and hotels would receive 100% of their tips. However, the legislation did not make any progress and no similar bill was included in the Queen’s speech in May 2021.
Private Members Bill
A private members Bill has now been introduced by Dean Russell. The Bill will be heard on 10 September. The aim is to stop operators deducting money from tips instead ensuring that staff receive 100% of all tips left by customers. We await details of how tips are to be fairly divided amongst staff.
If nothing else this bill will mean that the tipping issue is firmly back on the agenda….
For further information please contact Christopher Sing
