📢UKHU is listed as a trade union by the Certification Officer
Johanna Watling
General Secretary
UKHU is a grassroots union, created purely for hospitality workers.
This industry is unique. It has its own pressures and its own battles. From kitchens, bars and restaurants to hotels, housekeeping and events, we understand the people who keep hospitality moving.
Union membership gives you a voice when you are being ignored, support when you are unsure, and representation when you need someone in your corner.
UKHU regularly helps workers recover pay owed, challenge unfair treatment, raise grievances, defend themselves in disciplinary processes, request reasonable adjustments and push back against poor conditions.
Hospitality workers are not disposable. You deserve a union that is not treating hospitality as a side issue, but standing at the heart of it.
Join UKHU today and be part of a growing movement built for hospitality workers, by hospitality workers.
Johanna Watling
General Secretary, UKHU
Daniel Garnham
Deputy General Secretary & CISO
As the Deputy General Secretary and Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) of the UKHU, Daniel brings a wealth of expertise in union leadership and organising as well as safeguarding digital infrastructures and ensuring the highest standards of data security. With a background in cybercrime investigation, digital forensics, and cyber consultancy, he brings a strong focus on protecting the sensitive information of our members and the industry we represent. Daniel's experience spans across law enforcement and the private sector, where he has consistently implemented robust cybersecurity frameworks to mitigate risks and respond to emerging threats.
Daniel is also the General Secretary of the Security Industry Federation Trade Union and brings huge experience and support to the UKHU.
Gareth Rees
National Organiser
The aim of my role in the UKHU is to work tenaciously for the respect, fairness and dignity that you deserve in your workplace.
You spend your entire day creating amazing experiences and looking after your guests. The very least you should expect in return from your employer is a workplace that looks after you.
After many, many years in the hospitality industry from Cornish cafes to Cotswolds hotels, I know that this unfortunately isn’t always the case.
The hospitality industry can be an amazing place to work, the laughs, the camaraderie, the buzz of a busy Saturday, the satisfaction when you know you’ve genuinely created that amazing experience for someone.
But it can also be incredibly difficult, 16+ hour shifts, finishing at 1am then starting again at 7am, managers not listening to your concerns, hours being cut last minute, HR teams that put profit over people whilst telling you that you work for a “people-centric” business. These are what the UKHU are fighting to change.
Alongside my union work, I run a consultancy and training business called ADHospitalityD. The aim of ADHospitalityD is to help further the understanding of neurodivergent conditions in hospitality.
After receiving a diagnosis with ADHD in 2024 and gaining a greater understanding of ADHD alongside other neurodivergent conditions I realised how incredibly prevalent conditions such as ADHD, autism, dyslexia and many others are in the hospitality industry.
Because of my work with ADHospitalityD, I am able to offer specialised guidance and support to members of the UKHU who may have a neurodivergent condition. From support with discussing neurodivergence with your employer all the way to potential disability discrimination.