Hospitality Workers Must Work Safe and Get Home Safe
Stormont's Northern Ireland Executive and Hospitality Employers in NI
Launched in May 2025, Unite the Union's Work Safe / Home Safe campaign responds to urgent safety concerns raised by hospitality workers in Northern Ireland.
A sector-wide survey uncovered alarming trends:
- 42% of workers regularly walk to or from work—often alone—due to the lack of late-night, reliable and affordable public transport.
- 77% reported receiving no support from their employer to get home safely after shifts, even though taxis often cost more than an hour’s wage.
- 68% of women in the sector reported routinely facing sexual harassment or violence.
- Over half (53%) had experienced or witnessed harassment or assault while commuting.
Unite is calling for action:
- Safe, free or subsidised transport home for workers after late shifts as a licensing requirement for hospitality venues.
- Licensing powers to enforce zero-tolerance harassment policies in all licensed premises, ensuring policies are visible, accessible, and enforced.
- Mandatory training for all staff—covering bystander intervention, spiking, gender violence, and workers' rights—funded and delivered to protect both workers and customers.
- Public investment in late-night and off-peak public transport to ensure all workers can get home safely.
- Implementation of Unite’s Hospitality Charter demands to raise the bar for Hospitality workers across our industry.
The research highlights a growing safety crisis. Workers, particularly women and BAEM workers, face regular harassment from customers and colleagues, with little support from management. Long, unsocial hours combined with unsafe commutes are placing people at risk. Employers, Councils, and Stormont have a duty to act. With the UK Government’s ratification of ILO Convention 190, the responsibility to prevent violence and harassment at work includes the journey to and from work. Hospitality contributes £2bn to Northern Ireland's economy, and these vital workers deserve to work safely and get home safely.
Sign this petition now to support hospitality workers across Northern Ireland and win them the protections they deserve.
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Stormont's Northern Ireland Executive and Hospitality Employers in NI
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