Petition against Las Iguanas attracts almost 59,000 signatures
A petition calling for Las Iguanas to stop ‘forcing their staff to pay to work' has attracted almost 59,000 signatures.
The campaign features on site 38 Degrees and was set up in response to reports last month about the restaurant group's tipping policy forcing front of house staff to "pay to work".
The casual dining group was slammed for operating a policy which requires staff to pay their employer 3% of the table sales they generate on each shift, or 5.5% for Las Iguanas' London restaurants.
It added: "If enough of us stand up to these disgusting practices, boycott Las Iguanas - and tell our friends to do likewise-- they will have to change their ways. We will be handing this petition to Las Iguanas executives along with stories from their staff."
The petition also includes a tweet from Amy Grimshaw, a former employee of Las Iguanas. Her tweet said: "So many times I went home in tears because I OWED YOU money to work the shift because my tips didn't cover your 3% @lasiguanas #fairtips."
A spokesman for Las Iguanas said: "Claims that we make staff 'pay to work' are ridiculous, as that would be illegal and bears no resemblance to our actual policy.
"We are mystified about where this has come from. At no time has 38 Degrees contacted us to enable us to explain our approach. Aside from that, we cannot change something that doesn't happen.
"38 Degrees' website quotes a former member of staff who worked for Las Iguanas six years' ago for a short period of time, and who has made unsubstantiated claims.
"Our tipping policy has been well established for around 20 years and, among other things, enables us to ensure that tips generously given by our guests are shared throughout the restaurant team so that everyone feels rewarded.
"This is standard practice in the industry, and has resulted in Las Iguanas' outstanding record in employee relations, and numerous employer awards, all based on independent feedback from team members, including 2015 Sunday Times Top 100 Companies to Work For, and Investors in People Gold and Champion status.
"All our employees are paid in line with, or above, national minimum wage, and our staff retention is amongst the best in the industry. Over many years we have always made employees very aware of how we distribute and share tips, and the matter has been debated during staff feedback sessions during that time."
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