Bosses to be banned from taking workers' tips under government crackdown
2 min read
Hospitality companies will be banned by the Government from taking a share of their staff’s tips, Theresa May is to announce.
The Prime Minister will say it is vital that "everyone is treated fairly in the workplace".
The announcement, at the Tory conference in Birmingham, comes after a number of big restaurant chains were criticised for taking a proportion of the cash left by customers for their workers.
A government investigation into the issue was launched in 2015 by then-business secretary Sajid Javid, who concluded that staff should keep all of the money themselves.
Mrs May will say: “The unemployment rate under this government is now the lowest since the 1970s – but we want to ensure that everyone is treated fairly in the workplace.
“That’s why we will introduce tough new legislation to ensure that workers get to keep all of their tips – banning employers from making any deductions.
“It's another way we are building an economy that works for everyone."
But Labour accused ministers of stealing their ideas.
Shadow Business Secretary, Rebecca Long Bailey, said: "This is now the fourth policy the Tories have copied from us at their conference, as they desperately try to catch up with Labour.
“It's beginning to feel like Groundhog Day.”
She added: “Under Labour, gig economy workers and the self-employed will get sick pay and parental leave, just like everyone else.
"While May has offered to match one of Labour's policies, we have set out a plan for the biggest extension of individual and collective rights our country has ever seen. "
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