Deducting from employee tips unlawful says govt

The Ministry of Justice and Labour Relations says it is unlawful for employers to deduct gratuities employees get from their salaries.

This comes after reports came that Hotel De Duine at Henties Bay issued an agreement requiring employees to declare their daily gratuities and those amounts earned for service to be deducted from their monthly salaries.

Following the reports, the ministry of Justice and Labour Relations dispatched labour inspectors to conduct investigations into the alleged contraventions at the two establishments.

“On the basis of the findings of its inspection, the Ministry has ordered the Hotel not to implement its ‘proposal’ as it is unlawful. The hotel management has agreed to the directive of the Ministry. On a separate note, our investigation established that the company has not provided contracts of employment to most of its employees; does not remunerate employees for night work as well as work done on Sundays and overtime. A directive was issued to the company to comply with the provisions of the law with immediate effect,” the ministry’s executive director, Nghidinua Daniel said in a statement on Tuesday.