A Glasgow restaurant has been forced into a U-turn after staff were threatened they would lose tips for failing to carry out certain tasks – including facing a deduction for making a manager constantly repeat themselves.
The boss of Oscar Bar and Kitchen admitted the message sent by a senior manager was “ill-informed and completely unacceptable” after Unite stepped in to support the workers.
The union posted a picture of the message online, which warned staff that “not applying yourself properly” would lead to a loss of tips.
It was claimed the scheme would help the kitchen to “run a lot more efficient”.
Potential offences included a £10 deduction for leaving a spoon in a tub and a £2 deduction for making a manager repeat themselves.
Staff were also warned that they would forfeit a week of tips for failing to clean out the microwave.
The message ended: “I fully expect all of us to be receiving full tips every fortnight.”
Unite Hospitality said the message underlined a need for fair tips legislation.
The scheme was criticised online, with many taking umbrage at tips being deducted for making a manager repeat themselves.
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One person branded it “pure uncut psycho behaviour”, while another added: “Treating working adults like naughty children who you can deduct pocket money from – disgusting.”
Another customer said: “This place is less than a minute’s walk from my new flat and has been a lovely wee place to take the dog. Won’t be back.”
Following a management meeting and talks with Unite, owner Daniyal Schafaei released a statement via the union which read: “We would like to distance ourselves entirely from the post that was sent to workers by a senior manager entitled ‘tips scheme’. It was ill-informed and completely unacceptable.
“Our workforce are incredibly important to us and as such we have decided to adopt a new fair tips policy which will ensure that 100% of all tips go directly to the workers who provide the great service our customers have come to expect.
“Not a penny of these tips will go to management and they will be shared fairly among all other workers according to the hours that they work.
“We welcome the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023 and hope to work with Unite on all matters relating to the terms and conditions of our workers.”
Bryan Simpson, lead organiser for Unite Hospitality, said he was pleased the restaurant, in Glasgow’s Shawlands, had abandoned the “morally reprehensible and potentially unlawful tipping system”.
He added: “We now need Daniel to fully implement a fair tips policy which ensures that workers receive 100% of all tips, fairly distributed to the workers who earned it.
“This case wasn’t just about a shocking management position; it highlighted the real need for fair tips legalisation to ensure that businesses cannot get away with deducting tips or indeed using them as a performance management tool.”
Two motorways have been shut after human remains were found on the road.
Several drivers reported a body on the carriageway between junctions 20 and 21 of the M4 – between Almondsbury and Awkley – at about 6.40pm this evening.
The body is believed to be that of a man in his forties, whose next of kin have been told.
A police investigation to establish how the person came to be on the motorway continues.
Parts of the M4 and M48 motorways near Bristol are likely to remain closed until the early hours of Sunday morning, Avon and Somerset Police said.
In a statement, the force said: “Police are keen to hear from anyone who was travelling along that stretch of the M4 has any relevant information or dashcam footage.”
The road closures were likely to cause significant delays in and out of Wales tonight, with closures starting on the English side of the Prince of Wales Bridge and the Severn Bridge.
Sir Keir Starmer has urged Donald Trump to stand by Ukraine with a security guarantee as he warned a bad peace deal would be a “disaster for everyone”.
The prime minister is due to meet the US president for talks in Washington DC next week amid fragile relations between America and Europe after Mr Trump launched a verbal attack on President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The US president called Ukraine’s leader a “dictator” on Wednesday and later said Sir Keir and French President Emmanuel Macron, both of whom will visit the White House in the coming days, “haven’t done anything” to end the war.
Image: Sir Keir Starmer met with European leaders in Paris on Monday to discuss Ukraine. Pic: Reuters
Sir Keir said a good peace “can only be won through strength” and Ukraine “must have a voice in negotiations about its future”.
And he warned that a “peace deal which does not stop Putin from attacking again would be a disaster for everyone”.
Writing in The Sun on Sunday, he said Kyiv needs strong security guarantees “so the peace will last” and America “must be part of that guarantee”.
This could mean providing air defence and a promise that the US will come to the aid of a NATO country if Russia attacks them, the paper reported.
UK Defence Secretary John Healey has said “any negotiations about Ukraine cannot happen without Ukraine. We all want the fighting to end, but an insecure peace risks more war”.
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0:33
Will Trump and Starmer have a ‘Love Actually’ moment?
‘Turn the screws’ on Russia
The third anniversary of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine is on Monday.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy has said he will unveil new sanctions to “turn the screws” on Russia on Monday to coincide with the anniversary.
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Sir Keir also said the UK must increase its defence spending and play a bigger role in NATO.
And he is open to British troops playing a role in any European force in Ukraine after a peace agreement.
He added: “This is not something I say lightly.”
Sir Keir, along with other European allies and UK opposition parties, has backed Mr Zelensky as a “democratically elected leader”.
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2:25
Conflicting views over Ukraine deal
Also, Washington has warned that Europe must shoulder more of the cost of its own security.
Sir Keir is expected to use his upcoming trip to the US to confirm a timeline to raise UK defence spending from 2.3% to 2.5% of gross domestic product (GDP) in a bid to ease tensions.
It comes amid pressure from defence chiefs and opposition critics including Tory leader KemiBadenoch, who wrote to the prime minister on Saturday demanding he set out a plan for meeting the target.
:: Education secretary Bridget Phillipson, campaigner for global health and education Sarah Brown, and shadow defence secretary James Cartlidge will be discussing all the latest political stories in the UK and around the world on the Trevor Phillips on Sunday show on Sky News from 8.30am
A three-year-old girl has died after a collision between a tram and a van in Manchester city centre.
The girl was taken to hospital but died from her injuries, Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said.
“No arrests have been made and inquiries are ongoing,” the force said.
The child was a pedestrian and was not travelling in either the tram or van, GMP said.
The fatal collision happened on Mosley Street shortly before 10am, a Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) spokesperson said.
“All of our thoughts are with her family and loved ones at this incredibly difficult time. We are supporting police with their investigation,” a statement said.
A North West Ambulance Service spokesperson said two ambulances, a rapid response vehicle and two air ambulance crews attended the scene.
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TfGM said there was continued disruption across the Metrolink after the incident and advised people to check the Bee Network website and app for the latest travel information.
Manchester‘s Bee Network said: “Due to a road traffic collision on Mosley Street in the city centre, no tram services are operating between St Peter’s Square and Piccadilly Gardens.”
An X post from GMP’s traffic officers said: “Our officers are currently in attendance at a collision, involving a tram and another vehicle in Manchester city centre.
“We are presently trying to establish the circumstances however we envisage there will be a lengthy closure of surrounding streets near to St Peters Square.”