Hospitality workers are set to lose £15M in tip income due to train strikes

UK hospitality staff could stand to lose out on £15M in tips due to train strikes scheduled in December, according to data from our tipping platform.

The trade union representing train workers is planning industrial action on 13, 14, 16, 17 and 24 – 27 December, as well as 3 and 4 January, and 6 and 7 January. As a result, the hospitality industry is due to lose over £1.5bn in sales during what is meant to be the busiest weeks of the year, according to UKHospitality.

There has been a lot of reporting on the impact of cancellations, refunds, and sales – but very little on the impact it has on those with boots on the ground in the industry, at a time when cost-of-living is at the highest it’s been in 41 years.

Arguably the busiest week of the year for the industry, and the first year since covid with no restrictions – this industrial action could be devastating for those businesses (and their staff) who are hanging on a financial thread.

According to our data as the UK’s leading cashless tipping platform, we can report an average loss of -17% in tips for hospitality staff on recent train strike days throughout October and November.

This loss will be equivalent to roughly -£15M loss in tips in December alone, as the national tipping market is worth £3bn a year.

The impact that that extra £35/£40 has on those that are more vulnerable in our industry is huge. It could be the difference in someone being able to feed their families, or giving their kids presents at Christmas.

Whilst we align with workers speaking to improve pay and conditions, our job is to represent some of the lowest-paid workers whose income is directly related to footfall in their pubs and restaurants. This strike action could have a devastating effect on hospitality workers.

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