South Street Kitchen is the first Sheffield cafe to recognise a Trade Union
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Brighter future possible for workers in cafes, fast food, pubs and other hospitality outlets
“This is a really important breakthrough in achieving a union recognition deal at South Street Kitchen” said Martin Mayer Secretary of Sheffield Trade union Council. “Our SHEFFIELD NEEDS A PAY RISE! campaign, working with our partner Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), is starting to show real results as we bring trade union organisation to Sheffield’s hospitality workers for the first time. That means better pay and conditions, respect at work and real representation. We will now be looking to spread these benefits to workers across other locations in the city.”
BFAWU says: The workers and owners of a popular local café/restaurant have forged a union recognition agreement thought to be a first of its kind in the city. South Street Kitchen in Park Hill has agreed to undertake collective bargaining with their workers’ union of choice, Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU).
The agreement means that the owners of the cafe have signed a written agreement to negotiate with worker representatives on issues such as pay, workplace safety, and time off. Union recognition is commonplace in some industries such as public services and manufacturing, but very rare in the hospitality industry, where union membership is very low amongst its predominantly young workforce. The recognition agreement is designed to give workers a more formal and permanent voice in their workplace.
Zoran (worker at South Street Kitchen) said “The agreement means we now have a formal process for negotiating with management so that together we can continue to make this a great place to work. We are proud to be members of the BFAWU and would encourage other hospitality workers to form a union where they work”
Owner Rachel Cornish said: “We’ve always taken the concerns of our staff very seriously. We know that the success of our business is rooted in the hard work and dedication of our team. We are happy to recognise our staff’s choice of union, the BFAWU, and we are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial relationship”.
Sheffield Trades Council and the BFAWU are running a joint initiative, Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise, to support workers form unions in the hospitality industry, raising the profile of trade unionism across the city.
BFAWU general secretary, Sarah Wooley, said: “I would like to welcome these organised workers into the trade union movement and I congratulate Tim and Rachel from South Street Kitchen on recognising the workers right to form a union. It shows that unions and good employers can work hand in hand for the benefit of all”.
Martin Mayer added “We are very pleased to promote South Street Kitchen as a great place to go and eat. You can be sure it has owners who are good employers who respect their workers and recognise the union! You can find South Street Kitchen at 19-20 South St, Sheffield S2 5QX at the base of Park Hill flats. This high-quality vegetarian café is located just a short walk from Sheffield rail station over the tram tracks. For more information see their website http://southstreetkitchen.org/
Tel: 07763 678858 email: info@southstreetkitchen.org
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The BFAWU (Bakers Food and Allied Workers Union) is a union of workers in the food industry.
Please contact Gareth Lane for any queries gareth.lane@bfawu.org +44 7739 326006
SHEFFIELD NEEDS A PAY RISE!
Sheffield TUC says all workers should join a union, especially workers on low pay. Our Sheffield Needs a Pay Rise campaign is there to help. Low pay not only means workers cannot live to an acceptable standard, it makes our working-class communities poorer and is bad for the local economy. For Sheffield to prosper we must end low pay now! We are helping to fund a Union Organiser in Sheffield with our partner the Bakers and Allied Food Workers Union to help low paid workers get organised and fight to raise their pay and conditions, including by strike action.