PANJIM: Hotel Employees Federation of India (HEFOI) on Saturday strongly objected to the moves of the Union Consumer Affairs Ministry to discontinue payment of service charge in hotels and restaurants in India on the plea that it violates consumer laws.
“Service charge for hotel employees is in existence in India and all over the world for over a century. The wages paid to hotel employees is very low and employees mostly survive on service charges or on tips by customers,” said HEFOI General Secretary Subhash Naik Jorge
“In Sri Lanka and Nepal, payment of 10 per cent service charge in hotels and restaurants is legal and it is compulsory for customers to pay service charge which is then distributed to the employees,” Jorge said.
He said that it is shocking that the Consumer Affairs Minister is oblivious to this decision and is tweeting asking customers not to pay service charges and thereby coming in the way of hotel employees’ livelihood.
