Minimum wage for waiters in the hospitality sector

[southafricanrob]

Hi all,
I own a small cafe and have had a visit by the Dept. of Labour whom amongst other things are demanding we pay waiters a minimum wage of R16.91 per hour. They are adamant that tips (including those pf by credit card and this proveable on the point of sale) are not included.

My problem is not the min wage (which I believe is great in that it protects the permanent employees who may be pd too little in some places) but the fact that it applies to the waiters who are all earning a pretty packet already. The size of my business would mean the extra wage to waiters (I currently pay R50 per shift basic) would effectively cripple me. If I cut there shifts down to meet the hourly requirement they would earn way less and are all firmly against this.

Is there anyone who has experience in this and can suggest some sort of practical work around perhaps?

[workshop]

The only option you have is to comply with the law and change your incentive policies.