date: 20 December 2007

embargo: 00.01hrs Friday 21 December 2007

More people are working this Christmas than ever before says TUC

As many workplaces prepare to shut down today (Friday) for the Christmas break and thoughts turn to family and friends, mince pies and presents under the tree, the TUC is urging everyone to spare a thought for the 135,000 people who will be working this Christmas Day.

A TUC analysis of official statistics shows that the number of people who work on 25 December has almost doubled in six years. In 1998, 72,013 people worked on Christmas Day, but by 2004 (the most recent year for which figures are available), 134,489 employees were in work on the most festive day of the year (an increase of 86 per cent).

Women are more likely be working on Christmas Day. In 2004, over 79,000 women were in work on 25 December compared to around 55,000 men.

This Christmas Day, 17,000 more NHS staff will be duty than were on the wards in 1998 (30,226 health employees worked on 25 December 1998, compared to 47,390 in 2004). As well as hospitals employing more staff over the festive period, changes in the UK's Christmas habits are also responsible for an increase in the kinds of jobs working. Over 12,000 employees in small shops and garages will be going into work on Christmas Day, as will another 12,000 who work in the UK's pubs, bars and restaurants.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'More people than ever before will be at work this Christmas Day, reflecting the changing nature of the way we live our lives. So spare a thought for the people who will be hard at work while we're opening our presents, tucking into our turkey dinners and sipping a glass of mulled wine.

'Unions have worked hard to make sure that the UK's Christmas Day employees get premium rates, earning double or even triple their normal pay. But whether it be the emergency services, those in the health service, call centre workers, people working in petrol stations or in hotels and restaurants, let's remember all those whose work helps keep the country ticking over while the rest of us are off enjoying ourselves.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

- The number of employees working on Christmas Day has risen sharply since 1998, far outstripping the increase in employment over the same period. In 1998, there were 23,637,818 employees, compared to 24,479,600 in 2004, an increase of 3.6 per cent. Over the same six year period, the number of people working on Christmas Day has gone up from 72,013 in 1998 to 134,489 in 2004, an increase of 86.7 per cent.

- Employees working Christmas Day:

Year Male Female All

1998 30,298 41,724 72,013

2000 35,846 38,499 74,795

2001 46,981 68,790 115,771

2004 55,469 79,020 134,489

Increase (per cent) 25,171 (83.1%) 37,746 (91.4%) 62,476 (86.7%)

- Men and women working at Christmas:

1998

Full-time Part- time All

M 29,503 - 30,298

F 24,997 16,727 41,724

All 54,500 17,513 72,013

2004 (increase in brackets)

Full-time Part-time All

M 50,644 (71.6%) - 55,469 (83.1%)

F 52,432 (109.7%) 26,588 (58.9%) 79,020 (89.4%)

All 103,096 (89.2%) 31,393 (79.2%) 134,489 (86.7%)

- Some of the jobs being done by people at work on Christmas Day include: security staff, police, firefighters, paramedics, nurses, doctors, hospital cleaners, shop workers, people working in petrol stations, pub, bar and restaurant workers, coastguards, lighthouse keepers, journalists, call centre workers, computer operatives (to keep the ATM network running), vicars, hospital chaplains, broadcast engineers, nuclear engineers, zoo keepers, charity workers, printers, pilots, cabin crew, flight engineers, musicians, steelworkers, people working in hotels, steelworkers, and power station employees.

- All TUC press releases can be found at www.tuc.org.uk

- Register for the TUC's press extranet: a service exclusive to journalists wanting to access pre-embargo releases and reports from the TUC. Visit www.tuc.org.uk/pressextranet

Contacts:

Media enquiries:
Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Rob Holdsworth T: 020 7467 1372 M: 07717 531150 E: rholdsworth@tuc.org.uk
Elly Brenchley T: 020 7467 1337 M: 07900 910624 E: ebrenchley@tuc.org.uk

Press release (700 words) issued 21 Dec 2007