Union wins back £138,000 in tips
The Unite general union reports that it has secured £138,000 in withheld tips for low-paid workers at a luxury Scottish hotel.
According to the union, the Cameron House hotel has agreed to hand back the sum, made up of deducted service charges withheld since January this year. From now on, all service charges and card tips, worth around £70,000 a month, will be shared fairly among staff.
The hotel introduced a 10% service charge at the beginning of the year and, Unite says, it was subsequently revealed it had retained 15% of those charges. This is now being returned.
Unite Hospitality organiser Bryan Simpson said: “Legislation to ensure that hospitality workers receive fair tips is much needed and long overdue. But this result shows that workers do not have to wait for politicians. By acting collectively and organising a tipping committee, Unite’s Cameron House members took back what was theirs and demonstrated to hospitality workers across the UK that they can do it too.”