Cultural Change Champion: Safe Staff, Safe Venues

You might know when a person’s behaviour at work isn’t right. But calling it out? That takes reserves of courage fuelled by a sense of empowerment. And that only comes when people feel part of a supportive community. That’s what inspired the Victorian Trades Hall Council to launch the Safe Staff, Safe Venues campaign.

The initiative takes a three-pronged approach to help hospitality workers understand their rights: education, outreach and community building. The aim is to equip employees with the knowledge and language to speak up on issues such as fair wages, employee rights and sexual assault.

In particular, they’re focusing on at-risk groups such as women and gender diverse people, as well as migrants and international students, who make up a significant portion of the hospitality industry. They’re also keeping venues accountable, recently winning a three-year battle to end workplace NDAs that silence employees.

Matt Kunkel, CEO of the Migrant Workers Centre, says learning your rights alongside other workers creates a community of people that no longer feel alone. “That can’t be overstated. They get together and share their stories and find common solutions,” he says.

Safe Staff, Safe Venues also works with The Couch International Student Centre to run workshops for around 40 people at a time. By acting out workplace scenarios, participants learn what constitutes acceptable employer behaviour, and the format promotes solidarity with other participants. As The Couch program coordinator Elle Phan says, “Knowledge is power”.