IER tells restaurants minimum wage is already low enough

The Institute of Employment Rights (IER) has spoken out against employers who try and cut the minimum wage their pay their staff.

This comes after the government announced that it is introducing new laws making it illegal for restaurants and bars to use tips to top up waiters' wages.

Carolyn Jones, director of the IER, claims that the minimum wage is already low enough.

Therefore, she thinks that employers have no right to complain about the new regulations.

Ms Jones continued: Employers have to stop looking to their short-term interests and think about the long-term economic implications of trying to cut what is already a low minimum wage.

A spokesperson for ClickAJob goes further.

Restaurateurs should remember that as a service business they are 100% dependant on the motivation and commitment of their staff, he says.

Cutting corners on their wages is a sure way to drive service levels down with inevitable consequences, he continues.

It won't be the poor food and sloppy service that drives customers away, restaurateurs must blame themselves for staff who only grudgingly come to work and do the bare minimum to keep their jobs alive.

In the UK, the minimum wage is 5.73 for adults, 4.77 for 18 to 21-year olds and 3.53 for those aged 16 or 17.