date: 3 September 2008
embargo: For immediate release
UK workers still work the longest hours in Western Europe but unions make a difference
A new report published today (Wednesday) shows that UK workers still work the longest hours in Western Europe, but that UK unions have been particularly effective in winning shorter hours for their members.
Today's report published by the European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions shows that full-time employees in the UK put in 41.4 hours per week. This is 1 hour and 24 minutes more than the average for all EU countries including the 12 new Eastern European countries and 1 hour and 54 minutes more than the average for the old 15 Western European EU members.
The UK has been lifted off the bottom of the long working hours league table by Bulgaria and Romania. Full-time workers in these states, who joined the EU in 2007, work 41.7 hours per week on average - just 18 minutes more than the we do - leaving the UK 25th out of 27.
The report also shows that UK unions have been among the most effective in negotiating reasonable working hours. The average trade union agreement in the UK sets a working week of 37.3 hours. Trade unions only make agreements with fewer working hours in two EU countries - France (35 hrs) and Denmark (37 hours).
UK unions have done particularly well in the public sector, but they have also been able to roll back long hours in the private sector. The average trade union agreement in the chemical industry is for a working week of 37.7 hours, (which is 1 hour and 18 minutes shorter than the average agreement across the whole of the European Union), while in retail, UK union members are contracted to work 36 minutes less than their colleagues across Europe.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said:'UK workers are still working the longest hours in Western Europe, but this is no sign of economic strength as we are stuck at the top of the league table with poor countries in Eastern Europe. But people are clearly better off in a union as unions negotiate shorter working weeks and make managements raise their game thus helping organisations become more productive.'
|
Top 5 Countries |
Average weekly working hours for full time workers |
|
Bulgaria |
41.7 |
|
Romania |
41.7 |
|
UK |
41.4 |
|
Czech Republic |
41.2 |
|
Austria |
41.1 |
|
Bottom 5 countries |
Average weekly working hours for full time workers |
|
Belgium |
38.8 |
|
Portugal |
38.8 |
|
Denmark |
38.6 |
|
Italy |
38.4 |
|
France |
37.7 |
Shortest trade union collectively agreed normal full-time working hours table
|
Trade union agreements |
UK hours |
UK ranking out of 27 EU members (1= shortest agreed hours) |
EU-15 states hours |
EU-27 states hours |
|
All agreements |
37.3 |
3 |
37.9 |
38.6 |
|
Civil service agreements |
36.0 |
4 |
37.3* |
38.3 |
|
Chemical industry agreements |
37.7 |
7 |
38.2 |
38.6 |
|
Retail agreements |
38.2 |
9 |
38.3 |
38.8 |
Notes: Figures exclude overtime. *=EU-15 plus Norway
NOTES TO EDITORS:
The full report is available at www.eurofound.europa.eu/eiro/studies/tn0804029s/tn0804029s.htm
The Dublin based European Foundation for the Improvement of Living and Working Conditions (Eurofound - www.eurofound.europa.eu) is a tripartite EU body, whose role is to provide key actors in social policymaking with findings, knowledge and advice drawn from comparative research.
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Contacts: Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248 M: 07778 158175 E: media@tuc.org.uk
Press release (700 words) issued 3 Sep 2008
