GEORGE NEWS - A number of bartenders and waiters working at Oubaai Hotel have approached George Herald, complaining that they have not received their tips since December.

They earn tips in addition to a basic wage.

The complainants say they have approached their managers about the matter, and were told that they are under investigation. 

The Labour Department and Commission for Conciliation, Mediation and Arbitration (CCMA) informed them that they could only assist if there was an issue with salaries.

One of the waiters says his tips for December amount to about R10 000. "I use my tip money to buy my kids clothes, to buy food and provide for my family. They can not withhold the money from me."

Another worker said they are at a loss as to what to do. "We can not stay away from work. The Labour Department said if we do that, it will count against us. Our managers say we are under investigation. What investigation we do not know. The unfair part is that they give all the permanent staff their tips."

Upon enquiry, Oubaai Hotel manager Brian Shing said tips have not been paid for the period 15 December to 14 January.

"There was an internal investigation regarding the tips as it was triple what it is normally in a busy month. Some of the staff have found a way to manipulate the system to inflate their tips amount. We have to go through every single bill and check, which is an excessive amount of work and we do not have manpower to do so, hence the delay. We started to release the tips for the staff that have been cleared from the investigation which is still ongoing."

According to a local labour consultant, employees can only appeal to the Labour Department or CCMA where tips are contained in their employment contract. If not, they have no legal leg to stand on when a dispute arises.

'We bring you the latest George, Garden Route news'