TGI waiters go on strike over losing half of tips
TGI Fridays waiting staff are set to stage the first UK strike over tips.
Unite members of TGI Fridays, in the intu Trafford Centre branch, are to walk out in a row over plans to hand almost half of tips paid on bank cards to back-of-house employees, including kitchen staff.
Waiting staff argue the policy change could see them losing out on £250 worth of wages a month but TGI bosses insist it is a fairer system.
The walk-out is expected to take place next Friday, May 25.
Unite argue the move has been introduced to top up the low wages of kitchen staff and to prevent the high turnover of back-of-house staff.
Waiting staff at branches in Milton Keynes, Covent Garden and Haymarket Piccadilly are also launching strike action next week.
Restaurant workers in Enfield, London and Gateshead Metro, in Newcastle, are also being balloted on Friday, May 18, meaning there could be further strikes.
Dave Turnball, unite regional officer, said: “Unite is warning TGI Fridays of a summer of disruption if management don’t do the decent thing and sit down with us to find a sensible solution to this dispute.
“Our members have sent a very clear message that they will not roll over and be bullied into having their tips taken, without any consultation and with just two days’ notice - a move that will leave waiting staff up to £250 a month worse off.
“This isn’t about minimum wage servers not wanting to share with their kitchen colleagues. It’s about a company whose shareholders have gotten so greedy that they no longer want to pay their hardworking staff anything above the bare minimum.”
A TGI Fridays spokesman said: “At TGI Fridays, 100pc of tips go to our team members.
“The decision to give 40pc of tips paid by card to the kitchen teams is to ensure that all team members responsible for our guests service are rewarded.
“Servers continue to keep 100pc of the cash tips they are given. These decisions are based on the Troncmasters consultation with team members.
“Tips and wages are entirely separate and our tips policy has no impact on salary.
“We will continue to talk with our team members, our Fridays Family, to clarify information and resolve concerns.”