This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-36181319

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 1 Version 2
Measures unveiled to help service staff keep tips Restaurant staff 'should keep their tips'
(about 1 hour later)
Measures to help staff keep more of their tips and make it clearer to customers that they are optional have been proposed by the government. Waiting staff should receive their tips in full and it should be clearer to customers that gratuities are optional, the business secretary has said.
Sajid Javid said tips had to "go to the people you intended it to go to" and announced proposals to stop or limit employer deductions from them.
It follows claims that some restaurant chains were regularly holding back some or all of the tips meant for staff.It follows claims that some restaurant chains were regularly holding back some or all of the tips meant for staff.
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said the plan would "make tipping fairer" for millions of service industry workers. Unite said it was a "victory" for staff but, laws should be introduced.
The Unite union said it was a "massive victory" for waiting staff who want to "take home what they have earned". Currently, there is no legal requirement for firms to hand over gratuities to their waiting staff.
There will be a two-month consultation on the proposals, which the government said would stamp out unfairness. There are almost 150,000 hotels, pubs and restaurants in Britain, employing about two million people.
What happens to waiter's tips?
The war over tipping
Inquiry into tipping abuse
"Too many people were finding that when they were leaving tips for hardworking people they weren't actually going to those people. And that's unacceptable," Mr Javid told the BBC.
"It's got to go to the people you intended it to go to, it's got to be a transparent process, it's also got to be voluntary for good service."
The proposals include:The proposals include:
Business Secretary Sajid Javid said the government had always been very clear that it wanted "workers who earn a tip to be able to keep it. Mr Javid said the plan would "make tipping fairer" for millions of service industry workers.
"That's why I, like many others, was disappointed by the tipping practices of some of our well-known chains. This has to change. "We will look closely at all the options, including legislation if necessary," he said.
"Today I'm setting out our proposals to make tipping fairer, clamping down on unfair practices and securing a better deal for the millions of workers in the service industry. There will be a two-month consultation on the plans, which the government said would stamp out unfairness.
"We will look closely at all the options, including legislation if necessary," Mr Javid said.
Unite had been campaigning for action after complaining that some firms were counting tips as part of a worker's pay.
Announcing its consultation, the government said that 80% of consumers want to see tips go directly to workers or distributed among staff.Announcing its consultation, the government said that 80% of consumers want to see tips go directly to workers or distributed among staff.
'Rogue employers' 'Subsidise low pay'
Unite had been campaigning for action after complaining that some firms were counting tips as part of a worker's pay.
Dave Turnbull, Unite's officer for the hospitality sector said it would need the support of the law to make any change effective.Dave Turnbull, Unite's officer for the hospitality sector said it would need the support of the law to make any change effective.
"The problem has always been that tips paid on a credit card and service charges are deemed the property of the employer," he said. "Restaurant staff and hotel staff and back-of-house staff should be paid a living wage," he told BBC Radio 5 Live.
"As they own them they can do what they like with them. Until staff are recognised as the lawful owners of their hard-earned tips with complete control over how they are shared out, rogue employers will continue to cream off staff tips." "They're highly skilled people, they've got a lot of customer service skills and it shouldn't be a situation where restaurant owners and large corporate companies take it for granted that customers are going to subsidise low pay".
But he said the proposals were a "massive victory for all those waiting staff who have worked tirelessly to expose sharp practices in the hospitality industry".But he said the proposals were a "massive victory for all those waiting staff who have worked tirelessly to expose sharp practices in the hospitality industry".
"All they want is what any worker wants - to take home what they have earned, no corners cut," he said."All they want is what any worker wants - to take home what they have earned, no corners cut," he said.
The British Hospitality Association (BHA), which represents more than 40,000 establishments in the UK, said the proposals should help make tipping clearer for workers and consumers. The British Hospitality Association (BHA), which represents more than 40,000 establishments in the UK, said it will meet with hospitality business leaders across the UK and conduct its own impact assessment.
BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said: "Customers should be able to reward good service and know where their money ends up and how much of it goes to the staff."BHA chief executive Ufi Ibrahim said: "Customers should be able to reward good service and know where their money ends up and how much of it goes to the staff."
She said the BHA will meet with hospitality business leaders across the UK and conduct its own impact assessment. Food critic Jay Rayner told the BBC that the system of service charges and tipping "has outlived its usefulness".
"It's a bizarre system that we have and it only applies in restaurants, pretty much.
"I wrote a piece recently in which I basically have called for the end of all service charges and tipping but - and this is absolutely key - with a rise in the basic wage that all waiters get because obviously tips are regarded as important to top up people's salaries."
The consultation period runs until 27 June 2016.The consultation period runs until 27 June 2016.