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UK still high in the long hours league

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UK still high in the long hours league

UK workers remain among the most overworked in Europe, new official statistics indicate. An analysis published by the Office of National Statistics found the average working time in the UK for April to June 2011 was shorter than the European Union average (36.3 hours a week compared with 37.4) - but this is because the UK has a higher percentage of part-timers, 27 per cent compared with 20 per cent in the EU as a whole. When ONS examined the position for full-timers, people in the UK work longer than the EU average (42.7 hours compared with 41.6), with only people in Austria and Greece working a longer week, both at 43.7 hours a week. The shortest full-time hours were in Denmark at 39.1 hours per week. Commenting on the figures, TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said: 'These figures shine a light on the valuable but too often unrewarded extra hours that UK workers put in every week. Employers should do more to recognise the unpaid overtime that their staff do, which contributes £29bn to the UK economy every year. But while average hours are falling across the economy - both as a result of the recession and changes in working practices - UK workers are still doing the third longest shifts in Europe, with only Austrians and Greeks working longer.' The union leader added: 'Smarter working practices and an end to pointless presenteeism would help make staff more productive and get a better work-life balance.' The TUC estimates that a record 5.26 million people worked unpaid overtime last year, worth £28.9bn to the UK economy.

ONS news release. TUC news release, Touchstone blog and Work Your Proper Hours Day campaign.

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