Pizza Express to return to fair tips policy amid Unite campaign

A long campaign by Unite, the leading hospitality union, has secured a return to a fair tips policy at Pizza Express, boosting the wages of low paid waiting staff.

In March, the association said an internal Pizza Express committee established to agree tips allocation, scrapped a controversial rule that 50% of the electronic tips waiting staff receive should be given to kitchen staff.

The committee, made up of staff representatives from across Pizza Express, has now agreed to return to the policy that was in place before May 2021. Waiting staff will now receive 70% of all electronic tips.

When Pizza Express cut tips to 50%, waiting staff reported their incomes had dropped by around £2k a year. The policy was heavily criticised, seen as a way for Pizza Express to boost its profits by underpaying its kitchen staff and then subsidising their wages through tips.

Sharon Graham, Unite general secretary, said: “This decision is long-overdue and the right move. Congratulations to our Pizza Express waiting staff members who stood firm to fight this unpopular, unfair tipping policy in the face of pressure from the company to stay silent and accept a raw deal.

“This victory sends a clear message throughout the hospitality sector that Unite will challenge and overturn unfair tipping policies – and that this union will not rest in the defence of the jobs, pay and conditions of our members.”

Janet MacLeod, Unite service sector organiser, added: “Our members’ hard work in the teeth of management hostility resulted in the committee first being established and then reversing the company’s appalling policy.

“Unite will continue to work to improve terms and conditions of all workers at Pizza Express and use this victory to assist workers employed at other outlets in the campaign for fair tips.”