Fair tip campaign launches in Manchester

The Daily Mirror backed fair tips campaign has been launched in Manchester.

The Unite union, which is spearheading the campaign, is urging restaurants, bars and hotels to sign up to its Fair Tips Charter, which calls on hospitality operators to op using tips to make up National Minimum Wage.

The action comes ahead of the Labour Party Conference in the city later this year.

Len McCluskey, Unite assistant general secretary, said: "With over 20,000 visitors to the Labour Party Conference arriving in Manchester in September they will have plenty of choice as to where they will eat and drink.

"We are calling on establishments across Manchester to sign up to the Fair Tips Charter to demonstrate that tips and service charges are distributed fairly amongst staff. Customers clearly want a transparent tipping policy when they dine out."

The Independent has subsequently launched its own fair tips campaign and revealed that the tips loophole was a condition made by the hospitality industry's leaders to accept the introduction of a National Minimum Wage ten years ago.

The issue of fair tips and appears to be gathering pace with Secretary of State, John Hutton, saying in April that the Government was "seriously looking into" the issue.

Marco Pierre White, Mark Hix, Giorgio Locatelli and the editor of the Michelin Guide, Derek Bulmer, have also lent their support to calls for tips transparency.

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By Chris Druce

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