Pizza Express tips policy

This House is alarmed to hear that front-of-house staff at Pizza Express have seen a sizeable cut to their income since May 17 2021, the day restaurants reopened after lockdown; notes that the 30 per cent previously deducted from waiting staff tips for kitchen staff was increased to 50 per cent on this date; further notes that kitchen staff are on higher basic pay rates and get more guaranteed hours than waiting staff, while the back-of-house team is also significantly smaller than the front-of-house team at Pizza Express restaurants; believes this change has had a punitive effect on waiting staff – who are disproportionately female – as tips represent a significant proportion of their take-home pay; is concerned that this deduction is being used to boost the wages of kitchen staff by depriving minimum-wage waiting staff of their fair share of tips; is further concerned that staff were not properly consulted about this change; and calls on the Government to urge the company's management to negotiate in good faith with Unite the union to resolve the concerns of its members at Pizza Express.