Gratuities

[startwin]

My staff and I encountered this "exceptional" service charge in restaurants in Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Fremantle, Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne. We did not encounter it in Sydney or Hamilton Island

Of course in Hamilton Island the local officials informed us that our Asian and Caribbean Crewmembers were not welcome to go ashore. They did not want a bunch of "brown and black skinned people" wandering around the island.

 

This service charge seems to be a rather widespread Australian policy for an "exception".

In every case, it was explained that this non-negotiable service charge was being used to pay a proper wage to the service staff.

We never encountered anything like this in New Zealand - only Australia.

 

So is it the responsibility of my un-tipped crew to ensure that the Australian Restaurant Staff receive a fair wage - or is it the responsibility of the Australian Government?

 

Surely this would be the real reason the crew quit and went home? I cannot imagine having to put up with attitude, nor more than I can imagine a bunch of crew personnel quitting over a country's tipping attitude, which is what you claimed previously.

Edited November 26, 2013 by startwin

[jtl513]

... quitting over a country's tipping attitude, ...

I don't think it was attitude as much as a significant loss of income. If the ship was scheduled to do the same itinerary for, say, another month, would you stay on and continue to work for very little money? Edited November 26, 2013 by jtl513

[nana51]

I can assure you that is the exception not the rule in Australia. I have not been charged a service fee at a restaurant in Australia and the only time I have heard of it over here is on public holidays where the staff have to be paid penalty rates, sometimes up to three times the normal hourly rate. My 20 year old nephew waits on tables at a mid price restaurant and receives $20 per hour for doing it, I know of others that receive more and some that receive a little less. The wages for waiters and bar staff in Australia is equitable with other workers of a similar skill level, that is why tipping is only done over here for exceptional service.

 

To say that a service charge is added to pay staff wages in an Australian restaurant is ridiculous, wages over here are regulated by law and even if the restaurant never sold one meal for the night the staff would still get the same pay.

 

The non paying of the HSC on cruise ships by Australians is easily fixed, all they have to do is include it in the fare, it could not be more simpler. It is not just Australians that don't pay the HSC either, on a recent HAL Baltic cruise there were American and Dutch cruisers boasting that they would not be paying any HSC.

 

One other reason some Australians are hesitant to pay the HSC is because on average we pay much more for the same cruise than our American friends. As an example a 14 day cruise in an oceanview cabin on the Maasdam departing 6th Dec is available to Americans for $749 while the same cabin would cost Australians $1945. That is not a misprint, more than two and a half times the price for the same cabin.

 

As to an $80 increase in fare turning into $200 after tax I think that needs some explaining. I am not aware of why money paid as a fare would be taxed at over 200% wile money paid as a HSC would not be taxed.

 

For the record as stated earlier I always pay the HSC and usually give a little more to staff directly.

 

As I also said earlier, it is not the cruisers responsibility to make sure the staff receive a fair wage, it is the cruise lines.

 

I agree with everything you said. I wish we did the same here.

[chrispb]

Interesting. I've only visited Australia once, and never had that kind of service. the UK also adds an auto tip to the bill. Also got good service there with one exception. But both countries pay service industry workers a fair wage. Cruise lines should do the same, so there's no gamble as to how much the workers get paid. Include the HSC in with the fare, as well as pay a decent wage.

 

Some restaurants add a service charge in the UK but certainly not all. We know to check the bill to see if the service charge is included before tipping:)

[chrispb]

Do a search. Someone posted a photo of that list you think is imaginary!:mad:

 

It is either in the kitchen or the employee's breakroom...

 

DO NOT think for 1 minute they don't know if that charge has been removed!:eek::mad:

 

Why are you shouting?:confused: I've searched and can't find it. Either way, the list could mean anything - I bet there's not a heading identifying the purpose of the list!

[Fouremco]

The Australian minimum wage for restaurant workers is $19.07 ($17.33USD).

 

In the US, the system is more complex. Those falling under the Federal Labor Standards Act have a minimum wage of $7.25, of which a minimum of $2.13 must be paid as a cash wage and a maximum credit from tips is $5.12. For those subject to state labor laws, minimum wage varies from a high $9.19 to a low of $5.15, with tips constituting part of the "wage".

 

So even an employee making the highest hourly minimum wage falls over $8 USD behind his or her Australian counterpart, and for most, at least part of that minimum wage come from tips, not the employer. This goes a long way to explaining why, in America, tipping has developed as a societal norm that isn't prevalent in many other countries.

[Aussiepair]

My staff and I encountered this "exceptional" service charge in restaurants in Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Broome, Exmouth, Fremantle, Perth, Adelaide, and Melbourne. We did not encounter it in Sydney or Hamilton Island

Of course in Hamilton Island the local officials informed us that our Asian and Caribbean Crewmembers were not welcome to go ashore. They did not want a bunch of "brown and black skinned people" wandering around the island.

 

This service charge seems to be a rather widespread Australian policy for an "exception".

In every case, it was explained that this non-negotiable service charge was being used to pay a proper wage to the service staff.

We never encountered anything like this in New Zealand - only Australia.

 

So is it the responsibility of my un-tipped crew to ensure that the Australian Restaurant Staff receive a fair wage - or is it the responsibility of the Australian Government?

 

 

I am retired and have been to all the towns and cities you mention and have never been charged a service charge to eat in a restaurant and I doubt any restaurant would survive if they attempted to add a charge to the bill, Australians would not accept it.

 

I find your comments about the officials preventing staff from going ashore on Hamilton Island because of their color to be offensive and misleading. Australia is a young country made up of immigrants from every country in the world. Racism is not unheard of in Australia but I would say in all my travels I have not been to a country that had less racism than Australia.

 

The only people that gain from a HSC are the cruise lines and those that refuse to pay it. It allows the cruise lines to keep the fare price down so that uneducated people will feel they are getting a cheaper cruise, just like selling something for $9.99, so much cheaper than $10.00.

 

Add the charge to the fare so that everyone pays and staff can be paid fairly, it's not rocket science.