Staff in the South West work an average of seven-and-a-half hours unpaid overtime a week, according to figures published today by the TUC.
Analysis of official figures shows 481,113 workers in the South West effectively gave their boss £5,345 a year by working for free.
Across the country, the proportion of people doing unpaid overtime – 21.2 per cent – is at its highest-ever level, worth about £640 million every week, or £33 billion a year.
Workers in education are the group most likely to do unpaid overtime (37.7 per cent), followed by those in professional, scientific and technical activities (33.3 per cent). The TUC published the figures to mark Work Your Proper Hours Day.
Nigel Costley, secretary of the South West TUC, said: "Workers are often unfairly portrayed as a nation of skivers and shirkers. But the reality is exactly the opposite.
"Staff across the South West work among the longest hours in Europe – and are not even paid for much of the extra time they put in.
"Staff don't mind doing a few additional hours during busy periods, but too many employers take this goodwill for granted and forget to thank their staff. Further problems arise when those occasional extra hours become the norm, and staff become over-worked and under-paid.
"The many bosses who encourage long hours in the office should re-think their approach as stressed, over-worked staff are often unhappy and unproductive. If there really is much too much work to go round, take on new staff."
↧