date: 22 February 2005 embargo: 00:01 hours Thursday 24 February 2005

Attention: industrial and social affairs correspondents; newsdesks

TUC unveils unpaid overtime league table and tells staff to take a stand for one day

Teachers and lecturers on average do longer hours of unpaid overtime than any other occupation, according to the TUC’s unpaid overtime league table, published today (Thursday), the day before ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’. The league table shows how the £23 billion of unpaid overtime worked in the UK last year breaks down between different occupational groups.

On ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’ (Friday) the TUC is urging staff to do their contracted hours and encouraging their managers to take the opportunity to thank employees for their extra work.

The average length of teachers’ and lecturers’ unpaid overtime a week is 11 hours 36 minutes, almost two hours more than the runners up in the league table, corporate and senior managers. If teachers and lecturers did all their unpaid overtime at the start of the year, it would mean they did not start to get paid until 22 March.

But because they are paid so much more, senior managers’ overtime is worth much more than any other groups. Taking the average pay for senior managers, their average unpaid overtime of 9 hours and 48 minutes a week is worth £19,000 a year, while teachers’ longer hours are worth just half this (£9,892).

The top ranks of the league table are dominated by managers and professionals, but farm workers who do unpaid overtime also put in long unpaid hours, 8 hours 54 minutes a week, worth just over £2,500 a year on average - as do those who work in the arts, who do 8 hours 6 minutes a week, worth £5,600 a year.

Finance and accounts staff are the biggest group of white collar staff who rank high in the unpaid overtime league table. Those who do unpaid overtime put in 7 hours 18 minutes a week on average, worth £6,000 a year.

The TUC has dubbed tomorrow (Friday) ‘Work your Proper Hours Day’ as it would be the first day that the average long hours employee would get paid if they did all their unpaid overtime at the start of the year. On average people’s unpaid overtime is worth £4,650 a year.

The TUC is urging employees to work their proper hours tomorrow - to start on time, take a proper lunch break and leave work when they should. Managers should use the day to say a proper thank you to staff for all their unpaid extra work and take them out for a coffee or cocktail after work.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'Everyone knows we work the longest hours in Europe. Too many workplaces are gripped by a long hours culture, where staff are expected to put in unpaid extra time week after week. We are not saying that we should all become clock-watchers, but it’s about time we called time on bosses who think the longer something takes the better the job is done.

'Work Your Proper Hours Day is a once a year opportunity to say no to the long hours culture. On one level it’s a bit of fun, but it has a serious side too, giving both managers and their staff the chance to ask some tough questions about how their work is organised.'

The full unpaid overtime league table can be previewed at: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/wyphd-unpaid-overtime-league-table.pdf

At www.workyourproperhoursday.com employees can:

• check out how much their own unpaid overtime is worth and calculate when they start to get paid

• download an unpaid overtime calculator they can send to their friends by email

• download posters for their office or workplace to urge colleagues to take a proper lunch and leave on time

• send an anonymous boss-a-gram to their boss tomorrow, reminding them how much they depend on their staff’s loyalty and extra work

• find out about special deals for staff who want to leave work on time and celebrate the day, preferably with their boss picking up the tab

• and check out (from Feb 24) where their hours come in the unpaid overtime league table

Calling note: Commuters in PJs picture opportunity

• At 10:30am on Wednesday 23 February six 'commuters' will queue at a mock bus stop on Bedford Square (London W1), dressed in pyjamas and slippers for pictures embargoed for 00:01hrs Thursday 24 February. Contact the TUC Press Office for full details.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

The unpaid overtime league table has been derived from the Summer 2004 Labour Force Survey based on those workers who do more than one hour of unpaid overtime a week. The earnings data is taken from ASHE (the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings). The calculations assume a normal working week of 40 hours and six weeks holiday a year. For the full table visit: http://www.tuc.org.uk/extras/wyphd-unpaid-overtime-league-table.pdf

Case studies of long hours workers are available from the TUC press office.

Contacts:

Media enquiries : Ben Hurley T: 020 7467 1248; M: 07881 622416 ; E: bhurley@tuc.org.uk
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248; M: 07778 158175; E: media@tuc.org.uk

Skills for Life and media enquiries : Dan Ashley T: 020 7467 1372; M: 07880 504 846;
E: dashley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (900 words) issued 24 Feb 2005