A veteran of the hospitality industry has started a campaign for workers who believe they aren't getting a fair deal. 

Chloe King, who has worked in cafes and bars for the past 12 years, has launched the Raise the Bar campaign, aimed at organising hospitality workers to demand a rise in incomes to a “living wage” of $20.20 an hour.

Statistics NZ data shows the average hourly income for workers in the accommodation and food services industry is $18.90, and $698.10 the average weekly income.

Out of all industries measured by Statistics NZ, accommodation and food services has the lowest average incomes.

King said hospitality workers typically start on low wages, and have little room to move regardless of how much experience they build up.

"Here it is seen as a stepping stone job still, and we know that’s not true because the job market has stagnated and people are staying in service, because there’s nowhere else to go."

She hit out at suggestions that hospitality workers are unskilled, or that jobs available in the hospitality industry could be considered less professional.

"Learning to make barista standard coffee takes ages. It is an art. That’s just one example, and the expectations of what we’re capable of in hospitality industry over the last twelve years has drastically altered."

In an emailed statement, Advocacy and Policy Manager for Hospitality New Zealand Dylan Firth pointed out that the median wage improvement in accommodation and food services industry is stronger than New Zealand as a whole.

Mr Firth said this was indicative of the industry’s “desire to attract and retain good people.”

He added that increases in wages can be difficult for hospitality businesses to absorb, and that a sudden increase to a living wage could require a "dramatic shift in their operation."

King disputed that, saying that while there "had been a bar boom, there hasn't been a boom in our wages."