T in the Park festival bar workers are ‘underpaid’

BAR operators at T in the Park are facing criticism for the pay and terms offered to young people working at the festival this weekend.

Revellers Kara Plowman, Chelsea Lightly, Ashleigh Doull, Molly Swanson, Eve Swanson at T in the Park. Picture: Lisa Ferguson

The Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) said under 21s are being employed by Barcode Recruitment for £5.30 per hour “having been led to expect” the adult minimum wage of £6.50, and criticised a tips policy which sees all gratuities donated to charity.

General secretary Grahame Smith said: “It is clear from some of the discussions we have had that young workers contracted to this job feel that they have been misled.

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“They want to know why one of their hours of work is worth less than that of older colleagues and why other companies and other contracts are able to offer better rates of pay.

“Making contributions to charity is an admirable thing. But it would be much more admirable if the donations came from Barcode’s profits, not the tips of underpaid young people.”

A spokeswoman for the bar operator said: “There are two wage tiers which reflect different age ranges and also the national minimum wage.

“Working at T in the Park, or any other UK festival for that matter, provides an experience for young people as well as paid employment - they are able to enjoy the festival experience, are provided with meals and offered subsidised transport to and from their place of work.

“Due to the large sums of cash coming across the bars and to keep terms fair across the board, all tips over the weekend are donated to CHAS. This has been the case for the last three years at T in the Park”

“It’s important to point out that all terms and conditions of employment are made clear at interview stage and candidates accept employment through their own choice”.