Fair Tips Campaign

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Medway Labour Group are launching a campaign together with the Mirror and Unite about ‘Fair Tips’, to ensure that tips are divided equally and not used to cover 'walk outs' and breakages.
This started with the government closing the loophole that allowed businesses to make up their staff's minimum wage through tips, but Unite and the Labour group still believe more needs to be done.
Medway Labour Group will be asking the council to pass a motion to support the fair tips charter and to use its resources and influence to persuade local business to adopt it.  They are working alongside Unite to bring the fair tips sticker to restaurants to prove they adhere to the charter.
Pizza Hut has already signed the fair tips charter and guarantees that 100% of the tips go to their staff.

Cllr Vince Maple, who will be proposing the motion, said,
"Thousands of residents who work in Medway's pubs, hotels and restaurants stand to gain if the council backs the Fair Tips Charter. It is shocking that many pub and restaurant chains keep the tips we leave for staff, particularly when we pay by credit or debit card. This practice should end now and waiting staff should get 100% of the tips they work hard for."

Cllr Teresa Murray said:
"I want to congratulate Pizza Hut for distributing tips fairly and recognising that the minimum wage is just that, the minimum, and any tips are a bonus awarded to the staff by satisfied customers.  I’d like to see all restaurants and hotels in Medway following their example so that customers are certain their tips are allocated fairly to reward staff for good service."

Jonathan Shaw MP said:
 “People see this as a basic issue of fairness. I am pleased that the Government has decided to change the law so tips received by serving staff must be paid on top of the national minimum wage, not as part of it.  If our mission over the last ten years has been to create basic standards of protection, our mission over the next decade must be to find new ways to help employers and working people achieve more than the minimum”

Alasdair Murdoch, CEO of Pizza Hut UK, said:
“We are pleased that the government made the decision to prevent companies from exploiting staff by using customer tips to pay staff wages.  As one of the largest restaurant businesses in the UK, we have always ensured our employees receive 100% of their tips on top of their wages.  We passionately believe that staff should be rewarded for providing excellent service and customers should not be hoodwinked into contributing to company profits.”

Pizza Hut staff member Robert Heathfield said,
“Fair Tips is better for workers –and we at Pizza Hut (Dockside) are very pleased that Cllr Maple and Cllr Murray, and also Jonathan Shaw MP, are promoting this campaign.  We would urge every restaurant in Medway to treat their staff with fairness and follow our example.”
ENDS
For further comment please contact Cllr Vince Maple on Mobile: 07981 661451.  Alternatively contact the Group office on 01634 332393.