Agenda item

            The Director of Planning and Building Control presented the following motion which had been referred to the Licensing Committee, by the Standards and Business Committee, on 23rd October:

“Unite’s Work Safe Home Safe Campaign

Unite’s Work Safe / Home Safe campaign is a direct response to the harassment, violence, and unsafe travel faced by hospitality and night-time economy workers in Belfast. Research shows that over 90% of hospitality workers experience sexual harassment at work. Unite’s 2025 survey in Northern Ireland found:

·         42% of workers walk home after shifts due to lack of transport,

·         77% receive no employer support for safe travel,

·         53% have witnessed or experienced harassment or assault on their way home after a shift,

·         68% of women routinely witness or experience sexual harassment in the workplace.

This Council notes:

1.     That harassment, spiking and gender-based violence remain widespread in hospitality and the night-time economy, disproportionately affecting women, young, migrant and LGBT+ workers.

2.     That hospitality and the night-time economy are major employers and economic drivers for Belfast and Northern Ireland, supporting tens of thousands of jobs and contributing over £1 billion annually to the regional economy.

3.     That the Northern Ireland Executive, has announced funding for a one-year pilot of late-night public transport services in Belfast, with Belfast City Council co-funding the scheme. This is a welcome step that will help customers and the public get home safely, strengthen the night-time economy, and improve the city’s connectivity. However, it does not remove the responsibility on employers to provide safe, paid transport home for staff who finish work after public services end.

4.     That under the Licensing (NI) Order 1996 and Entertainment Licensing (NI) Order 1985, the Council has powers to promote public safety and prevent crime and disorder through licensing policy.

This Council resolves to:

1.     Amend Belfast City Council’s licensing and entertainment policy to require venues seeking late-night opening to:

o    Adopt and enforce zero-tolerance anti-harassment and anti-spiking policies;

o    Display clear reporting procedures for staff and customers;

o    Provide safe transport home, paid for by the employer, for staff finishing after hours where public transport is more limited or unavailable.

2.     Adopt a Belfast Charter against harassment in hospitality, based on Unite’s Work Safe / Home Safe campaign, including:

3.     Work with Unite, the Department for Infrastructure and Translink to ensure the late-night transport pilot:

4.      Lobby the Northern Ireland Executive, the Department for Communities and MLAs to introduce stronger protections and minimum standards so that all workers can travel home safely after late and unsocial hours, and so that employers play their full part in funding safe and fair transport.

5.   Report annually on progress, consulting with workers, unions and transport staff, and publish findings on safety, compliance and the impact on harassment and violence in the night-time economy.”

            The Chairperson welcomed Councillor Groogan, the proposer of the motion, and Councillor Collins, the seconder of the motion, to address the meeting.  Together, they outlined the reasons behind the motion, highlighted that it was a particularly gendered issue and requested that the Committee would consider inviting Unite Hospitality NI to a future meeting to discuss the motion.

The Committee noted that the Notice of Motion had been received and agreed that a subsequent report would be submitted to the Licensing Committee, outlining a detailed consideration of the practicalities of the implementation of the Motion and the potential costs implications.

Furthermore, the Committee agreed to invite Unite Hospitality NI to present to a future meeting in respect of the motion.