Many industries around the globe require employees to work later into the evenings. Whether this is in the healthcare or hospitality sector, one thing that unites these employees is the commute home. As many of us will have undertaken part-time roles in the hospitality and retail sector at some time in our lives, we will all have had the same thought as to whether it is safe for us to be making our way home at night. Though, we may not have been thinking whether our employers ever had an obligation to ensure that we made it home safely from work
You may be aware of the ‘Get Me Home Safely’ campaign. The trade union Unite has cultivated this campaign to require employers and branches of government (such as local authorities and the Scottish Government) to collaborate with them in pioneering clear options for employees and workers who require to work past 11pm on any given night.
In support of the above campaign, Maggie Chapman (Scottish Greens MSP) is currently collaborating with Unite to draft a members’ bill which would require companies to include “a safe transport home” obligation to workers as part of their licensing applications to local authorities. We believe that this bill is set to apply to all employees (regardless of gender) and be a feature of all new liquor licences, specifically focusing on the hospitality industry. This ‘safe transport home’ obligation would result in the cost of late-working employees’ commute home falling to employers. However, if this bill is successful, we believe that the vision is to extend this to other industries who may offer employees and workers late night shifts.
Whilst an employee’s safety is surely a paramount consideration of all employers, there are schools of thought on what is the correct or most effective solution to guarantee an employee’s safety during their commute home. There is debate over whether the true answer lies in focusing on improving late night public transport (which is a query for the Scottish Government as opposed to individual employers). Additionally, many employers have been left wondering the extent of the financial burden the proposed bill may place on them.
with the bill to be reviewed by the ‘Business and Fair Work Committee’ within Scottish Parliament, two of the largest local authorities in Scotland (those being Glasgow City Council and City of Edinburgh) are among the supporting group of local authorities for Unite’s campaign. It will be interesting to see what the outcome will be on this topical issue.
Our employment lawyers in Glasgow have a vast experience of assisting employers with queries on their obligations to employees. If you are interested in any updates in this movement, creating a policy, or need some bespoke advice about a specific situation please do not hesitate to get in touch.
