MP hails new law to help hospitality staff
A COUNTY MP has welcomed new legislation that sees tips go direct to staff, benefiting more than two million UK workers.
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, which recently received Royal Assent, will protect the rights of staff and will ensure they receive their fair share of tips and gratuities.
Having worked in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, Hinckley and Bosworth MP Dr Luke Evans was involved in the process of the Tips Bill passing through Parliament.
Most hospitality workers – many of whom are earning the national minimum wage
– rely on tips to top up their pay, but some businesses fail to pass on service charges from customers to their staff.
The government supported the Tips Bill with agreement that tips, gratuities and service charges should go to workers, rather than employers.
This overhaul of tipping practices is set to benefit more than two million UK workers across the hospitality, leisure and services sectors.
Dr Evans said: “Tips are intended to reward staff for good service and, as such, should be distributed fairly and transparently.
“I hope this new law gives people across Bosworth the confidence that, when they choose to reward hard work by leaving a tip, their money is going to the people who earned it.”
Dean Russell, MP for Watford who brought forward the Bill, said: “Like many across the UK, I have always had reservations that some employers kept tips which were earnt by their staff. This new law will stop this immediately and ensure that the tips are given to the individual staff
member or team.”