B.C. phasing out lower minimum wage for bar servers
Bartenders and pub servers are among those who will benefit from the B.C. government’s decision to eliminate the province’s alternate minimum wage.
Alternate minimum wage earners, who are currently paid $10.10 per hour, will see their wages rise to a minimum of $15.20 by 2021, bringing the industry in line with the rest of province.
“No one working for minimum wage, full-time, year-round should be living in poverty,” said Minister of Labour Harry Bains.
“Workers deserve a minimum level of protection so that, regardless of a person’s job description, they don’t earn a wage that is distinctly less than the general minimum wage.”
Liquor servers, resident caretakers and live-in camp leaders will all see wage increases, as of June 1, 2018, while farm workers paid by piece rate will see an increase, as of Jan. 1, 2019.
In a release, the president of the B.C. Federation of Labour said she was pleased the “discriminatory server wage” was being phased out.
“I am relieved that we can say goodbye to the server wage in B.C.” said Irene Lanzinger. “Make no mistake, the server wage is a sexist policy that puts women at risk. It has no place in a fair and balanced economy.”
The B.C. Chamber of Commerce said the decisions has created instability for restaurant owners.
“Certainly, our members support increases to minimum wage, so employees can keep up with the cost of living,” said chamber president and CEO Val Litwin, president and CEO of the B.C. C.
“However, eliminating the liquor server wage for employees, who typically have the highest hourly earnings when gratuities are considered, creates uncertainty for the restaurant industry.”
“Many small businesses and restaurants already operate on slim profit margins and the unexpected news of the phase out of the liquor wage will undoubtedly challenge restaurateurs’ ability to scale and will have an impact on their current staff — front and back of house,” said Litwin.
He said the chamber has consistently called for minimum wage increases to be linked to a predictable formula such as the Consumer Price Index, to bring stability and predictability to businesses with the assurance that they will face no large, unforeseen increases in their labour costs.