TGI Fridays faced protests outside restaurants in London and Milton Keynes as waiting staff joined in the UK’s first strike over tipping. In February, the casual dining chain, which has 83 outlets, began redistributing 40% of service charge payments paid on credit and debit cards to back-of-house employees, including kitchen staff, in lieu of a wage increase. Kitchen staff are said to be unhappy about being offered a share of tips, rather than a rise in basic pay. Workers say the change is linked to increases in the legal minimum wage, which has forced the restaurant to put up waiters’ pay. Those increases, they say, have gradually eroded the differential with kitchen staff who have historically earned a bigger salary but not had a share of tips.

Source: The Guardian May 18, 2018 14:37 UTC