Doherty Emphasises Progress on Tips with Drafting of New Legislation Underway

“I am determined to always stand up for fairness and the employment rights of low paid workers.  Unlike Sinn Féin, we deliver real reforms not rhetoric.”

The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty today dismissed Sinn Féin claims that she had done nothing to regulate practices around tips and gratuities and emphasised that, unlike Sinn Féin, she has introduced practical working reforms which will actually make a difference.

Last July, the Government approved a draft Heads of a Bill which will regulate practices around tips and gratuities. The Heads of Bill set out how the Minister intends:

• To amend the Payment of Wages Act to ensure that tips and gratuities cannot be used to ‘make-up’ or satisfy a person’s contractual wages; and
• To provide for a requirement on employers to clearly display, for the benefit of workers and customers, their policy on how tips, gratuities and service charges are distributed.

In December, the Minister brought a revised Scheme of Payment of Wages (Amendment) Bill 2019 to Government, with amendments based on feedback from stakeholders. This was approved by Cabinet (Decision No: S180/20/10/2428) and the legislation is currently being drafted and will be brought before the Oiraechtas for approval when the Dáil resumes.

Speaking today, the Minister said:

“The Government has approved these reforms, we have a bill being drafted and I am confident that when the Dáil returns, we will have widespread support to pass it quickly. As I said previously, I will not tolerate workers being deprived of tips on my watch and now, having received approval from Government, I look forward to introducing measures which will improve the situation and, crucially, have a sound legal basis.

“I am determined to always stand up for fairness and the employment rights of low paid and precarious workers.  I made significant progress in this regard with the Employment Act 2018 which restricted zero hours contracts and introduced banded hours contracts. Unlike Sinn Fein, we deliver real reforms not rhetoric.”