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TGI Fridays workers serve bosses a slice of humble pie

Front-of-house staff win significant concessions in negotiations between union representatives and management

WORKERS at TGI Friday’s made big steps forward in their fight for fair tips and pay justice today while their union, Unite, warned bosses that the new concessions were “just the beginning.”

Front-of-house staff at the food chain have won significant concessions in negotiations between union representatives and company management.

From now on, it has been agreed that staff meals will now be reinstated in TGI Friday’s branches, and unpaid trial shifts and online training sessions at the company will be scrapped.

The union has also forced management to restore the “Tronc committee,” which allows staff to pool tips together and properly share the tips out, after the committee was abolished in January.

They have also managed to reduce the amount of tips that go to kitchen staff to 35 per cent, rather than 40 per cent.

The dispute began in January, when front-of-house staff were given 48 hours’ notice that 40 per cent of the tips they receive would be redistributed to supplement the wages of kitchen staff, who are paid the minimum wage and have a high turnover.

Some front-of-house staff claimed that they were set to lose as much as £250 a month as a result of this action, which was imposed by bosses without discussion.

Senior management claimed that the policy was necessary to address the problem of struggling to retain kitchen staff.

However, workers opposed the move as a divide-and-rule tactic and refused to accept a real-terms pay cut for the company’s inability to hold on to workers.

Workers joined Unite in their droves and voted overwhelmingly to take industrial action.

By May, four TGI restaurants in Milton Keynes, London and Manchester went on strike, which were the first to hit the chain in its 32 years of doing business in Britain.

Since then, the workers have gone on strike eight times and have gained widespread support from across the labour movement for their stand.

Unite has paid tribute to the bravery of the workers in successfully turning the heat up on TGI Friday’s management and bringing them to the discussion table.

They have said that the fight was far from over, acknowledging that the 5 per cent reduction is a big concession from a company that initially refused to discuss the concerns of workers — but is a step towards victory.

Talking to the Star, Unite south east regional officer Dave Turnbull said: “The fight isn’t over.

“This would never have happened had they not joined the union and fought back. They believed that they would win and bit by bit they are winning.

“This is just the beginning — now more than ever TGI Friday’s workers and all hospitality workers need to stick together and join a union.” 

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