Member Article

Unpaid overtime highest in the North East

Employees in the North East who do unpaid overtime work more than any other region in the UK, according to figures released by the TUC today. Workers who put in unpaid overtime in the North East do an average of 7 hours 42 minutes additional work a week, compared to the national average of 7 hours 6 minutes. These extra hours in the North East are worth on average £4,509 per individual over the course of a year.

The TUC has calculated that if everyone in the UK who works unpaid overtime did all their unpaid work at the start of the year, the first day they would get paid for would be Friday 23 February. That is why the TUC has declared 23 February ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’ and is calling on employees to use it to remind bosses of their extra unpaid work by taking a proper lunch break and going home on time for this one day a year.

Brendan Barber, General Secretary of the TUC, said: “We work the longest hours in Europe, and too many workplaces are gripped by a long hours culture. There are some small signs that we are getting a bit better, but there is still a long way to go. That is why we say that employees should take a stand on ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’ and for just one day a year take a full lunch break and go home on time. “We do not want to turn Britain into a nation of clock watchers, and few mind putting in extra effort from time to time when it is needed, but it is too easy for extra time to get taken for granted and then expected every week.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Ruth Mitchell .