Indignant waiters are calling for public support in a battle to hold on to their tips. Pizza Express branches are to be targeted by protesters from Monday, as part of an attempt to get the restaurant chain to stop creaming off a proportion of tips for staff that have been paid on credit and debit cards. Campaigners have also started an online petition in the hope that restaurant-goers will back their demands.
In a policy that has outraged some employees, Pizza Express keeps, as an admin fee, 8p out of every £1 paid when tips are given by card. The chain, which has 430 branches around the UK and is particularly popular with families, makes an estimated £1m a year from the practice, according to the union Unite.
Related: Take a tip from waiters: workers’ rights are being destroyed | Nick Cohen
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