Greater Manchester Mayor backs campaign for safe transport for late-night workers

Greater Manchester Mayor, Andy Burnham, has given his backing to a campaign calling for late-night workers to have safe and affordable transport options to get home after shifts.

Led by trade union, Unite, the ‘Get Me Home Safely’ campaign calls for employers to provide safe and free transport home for all workers whose shifts end after 11pm, particularly those in the hospitality sector. The campaign is calling on local authorities to make safe and free transport home for late night workers a requirement when issuing and extending alcohol licences. 

Mayor of Greater Manchester, Andy Burnham, said:

“For those working into the night in hospitality – particularly women – getting home after their shift is something that weighs heavily on their minds and it’s time for change. They currently face the choice of parting with a chunk of their wages on a taxi or being in fear if they are walking or getting public transport home.

“Through our Greater Manchester TravelSafe Partnership we are taking an enforcement, engagement and education led approach to make sure that public transport is safer. Transport staff and police dedicate more than 5,000 hours per week patrolling the Metrolink and bus networks, day and night, seven days a week. However, Unite’s Get Me Home Safely campaign is the very best way that we can ensure people feel truly safe getting home, without being unfairly out of pocket.” 

Night time economy adviser for Greater Manchester, Sacha Lord, added:

“I was pleased to address Unite’s Get Me Home Safely launch meeting in Manchester this month. It goes without saying that the safety and wellbeing of all employees in the hospitality industry is a huge priority to myself and the mayor of Greater Manchester, and we will work together with Unite to ensure the city region is leading the way in establishing best practice to ensure all workers feel confident and protected in their roles.”

Other backers of the campaign include Liverpool City Region Mayor, Steve Rotheram, as well as a number of councils across the UK, including Wigan, Sheffield and Newcastle elsewhere in the North of England.

Unite general secretary Sharon Graham welcomed the support of the Greater Manchester Mayor:

“Unite’s campaign is gathering momentum with council after council supporting our call for shift workers, often women, who do not have a safe route home to be provided with one.

“The support of Andy Burnham is an important step to ensuring that businesses and councils in Greater Manchester take steps to ensure that workers can get home safely late at night. 

“Unite will not stop until the impossible choice of staying safe or saving wages is made a thing of the past.”