2022 has been the year of industrial action in the U.K., across public transportation, postal services, teaching, healthcare, and the service industry. As the cost of living continues to rise while wages remain low, people are starting to push back, demanding better working conditions and better pay. And while the drinks industry isn’t known for high rates of union membership, especially within hospitality, Caitlin Lee is fighting to change that.
Lee is the current chair of the Glasgow Hospitality and Service Industries branch of the U.K union Unite, and this year she has been integral to building the Unite Hospitality Combine. The aim of the Combine is to bring together hospitality union representatives and activists from around the U.K. to work as one: sharing ideas and strengthening areas where they do not have specific Unite Hospitality branches. This historical coming-together of trade unionists is set to prompt widespread action across the U.K. next year.
Also the chair of Scottish Young Labour, the youth wing of the U.K.’s left-leaning political party, Lee has been an integral part of this effort. “Caitlin is a truly inspirational activist who leads by inspiring and empowering others,” says Hannah Cousins, chair of Young Labour Carlisle.
Unite trade unionionist Bryan Simpson echoes those sentiments. “Caitlin is one of the most formidable women in hospitality. She has led dozens of successful campaigns for the real living wage, guaranteed hour contracts, fair tips, and proactive sexual harassment policies across multiple venues,” he says. “She is changing the beer industry and winning for those who drive the sector.”
Craft beer is a key sector the Combine is looking to tackle, targeting the way taproom and brewpub staff are treated and aiming to give those employees more power in the workplace. Lee spoke about this at this year’s Women in Beer Festival in Edinburgh, alongside craft beer and brewing professionals.
A huge part of her work with Unite involves advocating for nighttime workers through the Get ME Home Safely Campaign, which she started in April 2021 after being assaulted on her way home from working her hotel job. In 2022, she led this campaign by calling on City Councils and the government to provide safe transport home for those working night shifts—and it’s working. Earlier this month, Glasgow City Council passed a motion that requires hospitality businesses to provide free, safe transport home for workers after 11 p.m.
Kevin Reynolds, the chair of the Unite Hospitality Combine, calls Lee “a trailblazer,” saying that “she will be one of the leading figures in 2023 [who] will help empower hospitality workers to demand better pay, conditions, and union bargaining.”
Words,Helen Anne Smith