11/09/2025
Unite Hospitality is appalled by the comments made by celebrity chef and hospitality boss Michael Deane today. At this time where we are witnessing a surge in racist violence and intimidation directed at migrant workers across NI, most recently the attack on a Deliveroo worker outside McDonald’s Connswater, we feel it is important the voice of hospitality workers is heard.
Across hospitality and delivery platforms, migrant workers have been on the receiving end of abuse, threats and violence. Far-right groups cynically present themselves as “protectors of women and children,” yet their record tells a different story: last summer, almost half of those arrested for racist offences during riots had already been reported to the PSNI for domestic violence. The same misogyny and racism underpins both gender-based violence and these racist attacks.
As hospitality workers, we know the reality: it is in hotels, bars and restaurants where our members, overwhelmingly young women and non-binary folk face endemic sexual harassment and abuse. That is why Unite launched the Work Safe / Home Safe campaign, demanding an end to gender-based violence and harassment in our industry. The same forces who now terrorise migrant workers are not protecting women or children, they are perpetuating the climate of fear that keeps workers unsafe.
Delivery drivers for Deliveroo, Uber Eats and Just Eat are being sent into communities where racist thugs are actively mobilising. They are often required to check ID or collect validation codes for alcohol deliveries, which makes them particular targets for harassment. Despite this, the multinational platforms have offered no security measures, no guidance, and no pay when it is unsafe to work. These companies continue to profit while their workers are left unprotected.
It’s telling that wealthy chefs with multiple restaurants feel entitled to sneer at delivery platforms. For many people, eating out is an occasional treat, but the reality is that working-class households are under pressure like never before. That pressure in turn also hits hospitality staff, with hours, tips and jobs all under strain as prices rise and less people eat out. People are working longer hours for less pay and are increasingly reliant on the quick, affordable food delivery provided by predominantly migrant workers. These couriers keep society running under intense pressure, often in precarious conditions where they are now met with racist scapegoating and violent intimidation from the far right.
We offer our full solidarity to delivery workers and all migrants facing intimidation. Attempts to divide workers along racist lines only serve the bosses and the far right. The fight for dignity, safety and respect for couriers is inseparable from the fight of all hospitality and service workers. Unite Hospitality will continue to support efforts to organise platform workers. Our movement is about better pay, decent housing and fully funded public services – not the lies of the far right or the sneering prejudice of wealthy chefs.
