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Cabinet to Introduce Legislation Allowing Hotel Workers to Collect Tips
The government of Antigua and Barbuda is moving to amend legislation that will allow hotel workers to collect tips separately from service charges, a decision aimed at ensuring fairer distribution of earnings in the hospitality sector.
During the post-Cabinet press briefing, Chief of Staff Ambassador Lionel Hurst announced that the Cabinet has agreed to introduce the necessary legal changes in Parliament. Currently, many hotels—especially all-inclusive resorts—apply a service charge system that is distributed among all staff, including those who do not directly interact with guests, such as cooks, cleaners, and maintenance workers.
A Push for Fair Compensation
The new legislation would make it mandatory for hotels to allow guests to leave tips for specific employees who provide direct service, ensuring they benefit from their individual efforts. Hurst described the current system as unfair, arguing that removing tipping restrictions would create better incentives for workers in the industry.
“This change is in line with the government’s commitment to improving conditions for hospitality workers, who are key contributors to the country’s tourism success,” Hurst explained.
Impact on the Hospitality Sector
The amendment is expected to:
- Increase earnings for hotel workers, particularly wait staff, bartenders, and front-facing employees.
- Improve service quality, as employees would have a direct financial incentive for providing excellent service.
- Ensure greater equity, preventing hotel owners from absorbing service charges meant for employees.
Industry Response
While the decision has been welcomed by many hospitality workers, some hotel operators may push back over concerns about how it could affect pricing structures and overall wage distribution within the sector.
With the Cabinet set to take the bill to Parliament soon, industry stakeholders will be closely watching how the new tipping structure will be implemented and what it will mean for both workers and guests.
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Will this apply retroactively? Many workers have lost out on earnings over the years.
I hope the government enforces this properly. Without strict oversight, some hotels will continue to exploit their staff.
Would love to see penalties for hotels that don’t comply. Otherwise, this will just be another empty policy.
Will there be a standardized percentage of tips that must go directly to employees?
This should have been implemented years ago. Too many workers have been shortchanged for too long.
Finally! Hotel workers deserve their fair share. Too many hotels pocket service charges while staff struggle.
No manager should be making less than line staff and supervisors, it is unjust and unfair. Managers don’t get overtime, sevcie charge and holiday’s pay….dix it now are you too wicked man.
I do NOT support Government’s attempt to appease hotel bosses re the paying of tips. Tips should be earned not mandated by law. Rather, the government should insist that decent and fair wages be paid by management to its employees and not force patrons to subsidize low wages. It us not fair for patrons to be forced to pay for lousy service which is exactly what this bill would do. Force, by law if necessary; hotel management to pay fair wages and leave it to patrons to provide tips if and when deserved.
@faithful national
100% agree.
The lack of realistic living wages is an old one that needs addressing immediately.
Let no-one forget that without the unseen heroes i.e. cleaners, maintenance people, pot washers & cooks, food runners, gardeners, purchasing clerks, IT etc. the customer-facing staff are unable to deliver.
Each of those people rightly deserve a piece of the Service Charge $.
Mandating through legislation additional tips for the person the guest is in contact with, is crazy.
IF a customer wishes to tip the person they have interacted with IN ADDITION to the shared Service Charge ( of which the business should withhold nothing) that should be the customers personal choice.
Clearly there is work to be done regarding RESPECT & UNDERSTANDING of each unseen staff members valuable contribution that allows customer facing individuals the opportunity to earn a tip.
Please do not legislate the service industry to a point where ‘multiple add-on’ charges to customer bills make us more expensive than our neighboring islands – tourism is fragile and fickle.
We are facing external uncertainty from northern neighbor and Europe currently, key markets, let’s not exacerbate our economic fragility.