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Pizza Express employees fight pay cuts and increased workload

Pizza Express

Pizza Express employees protest pay cuts and increased workload

Pizza Express is facing employee protests following its decision to reduce hours for hundreds of waiting staff and transfer their responsibilities to restaurant managers. 

The move, scheduled to take effect this week, will result in lower pay for nearly 400 hourly paid waiting staff across 90 of its 360 restaurants. 

In addition, salaried managers will have to handle increased workloads without receiving extra compensation.

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Currently, managers do not receive a share of the service charge paid by customers, leading workers to question what will happen to these payments when no waiters are on duty. 

The Unite union, representing some of Pizza Express's 10,000 employees, estimates affected waiting staff could lose up to five hours of work per day. 

For those at least 23 years old and earning minimum wage while working five days a week, this translates to a weekly pay cut of £260.

Various employees have voiced their concerns about the impact of these changes. 

One working mother, for instance, said she will lose two-thirds of her hours, amounting to approximately 12 hours per week, along with up to £150 in tips. 

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Another employee expects to lose 18 hours of work per week, equivalent to £193, in addition to at least £30 in tips. 

A third worker anticipates losing nine hours of work per week, resulting in a pay cut of nearly £94 per week, not including lost tips, which could amount to an additional £30.

In internal messages seen by The Guardian, a manager expressed dissatisfaction with the increased workload, stating they were not consulted about taking on additional responsibilities. 

The person highlighted the unfairness of the situation, both for the waiters and the managers themselves. 

Other staff members shared their disappointment, mentioning that Pizza Express no longer felt like a large family.

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Pizza Express justified the changes as necessary to align with budgetary goals, stating that they were adjusting their labor system to ensure appropriate staffing levels. 

The company assured employees it would work with them to find alternative shifts and hours at nearby restaurants or honor current hours for those with fixed schedules.

The backlash resulting from the announcement prompted an emergency meeting between Pizza Express CEO Paula MacKenzie and managers. 

Bryan Simpson, the lead organizer at Unite's hospitality division, condemned the company's decision, emphasizing the lack of proper consultation.

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He noted the catastrophic impact on financially vulnerable part-time workers who rely on these daytime hours to accommodate school and childcare responsibilities.

A company spokesperson said: “Customer habits are always changing, and we have to adapt to that. 

“As part of this we’re tweaking our operational system, so we always have the right number of team members in our restaurants to serve the number of customers dining.”

The dispute over pay comes a year after Pizza Express employees successfully fought for a larger portion of tips following a change that reduced their share from 70 to 50 percent 

The tip reduction occurred when wages were already under pressure due to social distancing restrictions that limited the number of diners.

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