Irish Examiner view: Bill to boost rights of hospitality staff is long overdue

Some 40,000-plus workers who left the industry as Covid-19-prevention measures forced many businesses to close. Picture: AP

Anyone who has waited on tables — and there are many of us — will welcome new legislation that ensures tips and gratuities are fairly distributed to staff. The Payment of Wages Amendment Bill, passed by the Oireachtas this week, is overdue, but welcome.

Under its terms, employers will be prohibited from describing mandatory charges as ‘service charges’, unless they are treated in the same way as tips. The new legislation also ensures that hospitality workers get any tips paid electronically, an important clarification given the increasing use of credit cards and reports that some employers used technology as an excuse not to pass on gratuities.