Grace O'Sullivan (Green Party) | Oireachtas source

This proposal will be welcomed by members of the unions in the Gallery, particularly the Union of Students in Ireland. I acknowledge that it is not just students who avail of tips. People of different ages and generations work in the hospitality sector. Like my colleague, Senator Alice-Mary Higgins, I worked in the hospitality sector, in a café in Tramore, as a single mother with three children. The tips did help. It was not just the money in my pocket, but the sense of acknowledgement that the service I provided was appreciated.I will speak specifically to amendment No. 3. I refer to the tronc system. It is welcome that employees should decide among themselves the system they will use to share tips. There are front of house staff but there are also staff working in different capacities in the background and the amendment is, therefore, welcome. It also shows trust in staff. It teaches collaboration and how to be fair and square in a sector where, by and large, contracts of employment are at the lower end, as others Senators have said. That is why I very much support Senators Gavan and Warfield and all those who have put forward this Bill on behalf of Sinn Féin.

I also acknowledge that the Minister of State's support for the Bill. It is good that it has cross-party collaboration and support.