Unite calls for workers to control tips
The UK government’s new code of practice on tipping has drawn criticism from trade union Unite for allowing employers to dictate how gratuities are allocated.
While the proposed guidance would require employers to consult with workers on their tipping policy, Unite has said that it will give them ‘carte blanche to decide which workers will receive tips.’
Bryan Simpson, Unite’s lead organiser for hospitality, said: “This new flawed code of practice must be withdrawn. The government is showing contempt for hospitality workers who are among the most vulnerable in the economy, by not even consulting on its plans. Labour promised to give workers greater control over their tips. That promise must now be honoured.”
The Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act 2023, which came into effect 1 October 2024, made it unlawful for employers to withhold tips and service charges from staff.
This followed a consultation process which revealed that an estimated £200 million (US$263.6m) was being kept from UK workers.
Unite has repeatedly condemned the government for reneging on its 2024 pledge to hand workers full control of tips.
In January 2026, a government fact sheet described the policy U-turn as a measure against “the tyranny of the majority of workers.”
Unite described the wording as “insulting” and “derogatory,” leading to the factsheet being rewritten the following month, but the dispute remains ongoing.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “Workers should have control over their own tips pure and simple. Most customers assume they do anyway. Giving managers control, even letting them keep a slice for themselves, is clearly unfair.
“The government messed this up the first time in their code of practice on tipping. The fact that they are now repeating the same mistakes in a revised version that was supposed to address workers concerns is genuinely concerning.”
Further guidance set to come into effect in October 2026 states that employers must review their tipping policy every three years.
Unite has previously described the guidance as filled with ‘loopholes’ that could be exploited by employers.
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