MOSSEL BAY NEWS - A Mossel Bay resident has claimed that some waitrons in town are being unfairly treated.
He has said that some are made by certain restaurants to sign contracts which stipulate they must declare and hand in their tips to their employer.
In a contract between a restaurant and waitron, sent to the Mossel Bay Advertiser, the restaurant in question notes that the waitron is not "legally entitled to the tips".
In the contract it states that the waitron would be paid for hours worked at the end of the month and that the waitron would receive a 3% commission on sales generated by him or her at the restaurant.
The concerned resident contacted the Labour Department and was told that it was illegal for a restaurant to keep a waitron's tips.
The resident said he felt that young people, those who do not know the law and also those who are desperate for work, were intimidated into signing contracts such as these.
He wants the public to know what is happening at some restaurants. He advises waitrons not to sign contracts of this nature.
He said he spoke to a staffer at the Labour Department in Mossel Bay, who also said waitrons should not sign contracts with clauses such as these.
Warning
The resident also wishes to warn people who eat out, saying: "People tip a waitron because they have a pleasant personality and do a job well. They think the money is going to the waitron, but instead the restaurant is keeping it."
The concerned person said a group of waitrons had submitted a formal complaint on 13 April to the Labour Department in Mossel Bay.
He gave a name, number and email address of the staffer at the Labour Department with whom he was dealing. The concerned Mossel Bay man said he had been told that a "department representative will be initiating an inspection and interviews".
The Mossel Bay Advertiser called the Labour Department twice and sent emails and WhatsApps requesting that a spokesperson contact the Advertiser, but no comment had been received at the time of going to press.
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