date: Tuesday 14 December 2004 embargo: 00.01 Thursday 16 December 2004

Attention: Industrial, work and social correspondents

TUC launches search for the modern day Scrooge

The TUC today (Thursday) launches a campaign to find the modern Ebenezer Scrooge, Christmas’ meanest boss.

Scrooge’s clerk, Bob Cratchit, had to work late nights up until Christmas Eve, in a freezing office, with no pretence of a work-life balance. Today things are vastly improved for the majority of the UK’s workers, but those unfortunate enough to work for the scrooges of the 21st century find over-long hours, poor family care arrangements, disrespect and low pay as relevant today as they were in Dickens’ day.

The top ten examples of Christmas stinginess identified by the TUC and the Ghost of Christmas Present are:

1. Making staff work on Christmas bank holidays or lose pay: Contrary to popular opinion, there’s no legal right to bank holidays, though most people have this in their contract. Some bosses even close the business on bank holidays, forcing staff to miss a day’s work and pay.

2. Counting Christmas bank holidays as part of annual leave: There’s a minimum of 20 days’ paid annual leave, but a minority of bosses count bank holidays as part of this minimum, rather than in addition to it. This legal loophole lets some employers get away with in effect only allowing 12 days’ annual leave a year.

3. Keeping the office freezing to save on heating costs: There is a minimum legal temperature of 16°C in workplaces (13°C for active and strenuous work). Below this, staff should be allowed to go somewhere warmer, or go home.

4. Dictating Christmas leave arrangements at short notice: Some workplaces are very busy around Christmas, and bosses may want to rule out annual leave requests to ensure continual coverage. However, if they want to do this they need to give staff notice of at least the same period they want to rule out. Other firms find work dries up between Christmas and New Year, so some compel staff to take the time off, even if they would rather save their leave for another time. For this, staff should be given notice of at least twice the period they have to take as leave.

5. Banning workplace relationships that start at the Christmas party: Many relationships start at work; not surprising perhaps, as people spend so much of their time there! Although this rarely causes serious problems, some employers have blanket policies to ban workplace relationships. There’s a valid concern relationship problems might spill over into work, affecting professionalism or causing favouritism, but in most cases a total ban is excessive and employers should treat staff as adults, not children.

6. Not allowing parents flexitime to see their kids’ nativity play: There is no statutory right to have time off for this kind of occasion, and around 40% of workers don’t normally have any scope for flexibility in their hours. Most bosses allow their workers some leeway at Christmas, but a small minority lack the Christmas spirit.

7. Not allowing Christmas decorations at work: Some bosses use the argument that it’s a health and safety risk, and others say it makes the workplace look unprofessional. This might be fair enough in some rare circumstances, but some bosses ban all personal effects from desks, even down to personal photos or Christmas cards.

8. Not paying the minimum wage for temporary Christmas jobs: A lot of companies take on extra staff to work in the busy run-up to Christmas. Most people are entitled to the national minimum wage, but some employers may wrongly claim jobs are exempt, particularly for younger workers, for whom a minimum wage is still a new right (£3.00 an hour for 16-18 year olds).

9. Making people work late over Christmas: This is a time when most workers want to spend more time with their families, but many workplaces suffer from a long hours culture, with staff often putting in the equivalent of an extra day a week in unpaid overtime. Tiny Tims all over the UK are missing out on time with late-working parents.

10. Cancelling Christmas parties on safety or compensation grounds: A recent survey found more than 7 in 10 employers had cut traditional staff parties, rather than run the risk of litigation over accidents or sexual harassment. However, if a party is properly planned and safely conducted, everything should go smoothly and there's no need for this kind of over-reaction.

The TUC wants to find which of these Scrooge traits are the most common amongst today’s meanest bosses, and have launched an online ‘Search for Scrooge’ where today’s workers can say which of these are happening where they work, and share any (anonymous) stories about other Dickensian practices in the workplace.

The results and some of the best (and worst) stories will be featured on workSMART.org.uk, and a prize of a hamper of Christmas goodies will be awarded for the story of petty stinginess which best captures the spirit of Ebenezer Scrooge.

Employees can share their stories at www.worksmart.org.uk/scrooge

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said "Christmas should be a time for consideration and harmony. But a minority of stingy employers have lost the Christmas spirit - some even break the law or use mean and petty loopholes to cut costs, at the expense of peace and goodwill at work. We know that modern-day Scrooges are out there, and we want to shame them into ditching the 'humbug'. In Charles Dickens' story, Britain's meanest boss was won round after he was shown the error of his ways. So if you're working for a Scrooge too, be like the ghost of Christmas present and tell us what's really going on - let's try and get a happy working Christmas for each and everyone."

Notes to Editors

From 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens:

· 'Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge. A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire.'

· 'He carried his own low temperature always about with him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one degree at Christmas.'

· ''You'll want all day tomorrow, I suppose?' said Scrooge. 'If quite convenient, sir'. 'It's not convenient,' said Scrooge, 'and it's not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you'd think yourself ill-used, I'll be bound?' The clerk smiled faintly. 'And yet,' said Scrooge, 'you don't think me ill-used, when I pay a day's wages for no work.' The clerk observed that it was only once a year. 'A poor excuse for picking a man's pocket every twenty-fifth of December!' said Scrooge, buttoning his great-coat to the chin. 'But I suppose you must have the whole day. Be here all the earlier next morning.''

Media enquiries :

Dan Ashley T: 020 7467 1372; M: 07880 504 846; E: dashley@tuc.org.uk

Liz Chinchen T: 020 7467 1248; M: 07778 158175; E: media@tuc.org.uk

Press release (1,100 words) issued 15 Dec 2004