The Minister for Employment Affairs and Social Protection, Regina Doherty TD is planning to introduce an amendment to the Payment of Wages Act 1991 in relation to tips and gratuities in the workplace to ensure that tips and gratuities cannot be used to make up or satisfy contractual rates of pay. Employers will also be required to clearly display their policy on how tips, gratuities and service charges are distributed in their workplace.
The Government is opposing a Private Members Bill entitled the 'National Minimum Wage (Protection of Employee Tips) Bill' which was initiated in the Seanad as its provisions would lead to unintended negative side effects for employees and employers, for example it could threaten the income employees receive from tips by making the tips taxable through payroll, as well as increasing the level of bureaucracy for employers.