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date: 24 February 2010

embargo: 00.01hrs Friday 26 February 2010

Teachers and lawyers most likely to work 'extreme' unpaid overtime

The number of people working 'extreme' unpaid overtime of more than ten hours a week increased by 14,000 to nearly 900,000 last year, according a new analysis of official statistics published today (Friday) by the TUC to mark Work Your Proper Hours Day (WYPHD).

Teachers and lawyers are the most likely to do 'extreme' unpaid overtime with around one in five employees clocking up an extra 17 hours of free work a week.

Today is Work Your Proper Hours Day - the day when the average person who does unpaid overtime would start to get paid if they did all their unpaid overtime at the start of the year. However, the TUC analysis also shows that those doing 'extreme' unpaid overtime of more than ten hours per week wouldn't start getting paid until April 26.

Last year over five million people across the UK clocked up an average of 7 hours 12 minutes of unpaid overtime a week worth £27.4 billion - or £5,402 each.

The TUC analysis shows that teachers, health and social service managers and lawyers are most likely to do unpaid overtime, with around half of all staff in these occupations regularly giving away unpaid hours.

One in four (25.3 per cent) public sector workers worked unpaid overtime in 2009, worth nearly £9 billion a year, compared to one in six staff in the private sector (18.3 per cent). Public sector workers are also more likely to do 'extreme' unpaid overtime, according to the TUC analysis.

Single women are more likely to do unpaid overtime than single men, married or cohabiting couples or lone parents - with over one in four women putting in an average of 7 hours 42 minutes free work a week.

The growth of 'extreme' unpaid overtime over the last year comes as the number of 'underemployed' people also increases. Official figures show that 2.8 million people say they want more hours in their existing job or full-time work instead of their current part-time job.

With official statistics showing that nearly half a million managers say they would be willing to work fewer hours even if it meant a pay cut, there is an obvious mismatch between the kind of hours people want to work and the kind of hours they are getting, says the TUC.

Employees across the UK are putting in unpaid hours at work to help their company recover from the recession so the TUC is calling on bosses to mark Work Your Proper Hours Day by thanking staff for the extra work they are doing to help keep businesses afloat.

TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: 'One of the features of the recession has been people moving to shorter hours or taking part-time work in order to avoid dole queue. This has also led to a fall in the number of people putting in extra hours at work.

'There has also been a surprise increase in people doing 'extreme' unpaid overtime, with nearly 900,000 workers giving away 18 hours of free work a week last year. There is no direct link between excess overtime and underemployment but those people who are struggling to find enough or indeed any hours to work must be wondering why some workers are doing so much for free.

'Our analysis also disproves the tired stereotype that public sector workers enjoy a feather-bedded working life. In fact they are giving away billions of pounds worth of work for free - and more per person than those in the private sector.

'Staff are understandably doing all they can to help their company recover from the recession - and bosses should thank them for going that extra mile. But working time still needs to be properly managed. A long hours culture is bad for workers' health and family life - whether the hours are paid or not.'

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Total and 'extreme' unpaid overtime by occupation

Total and 'extreme' unpaid overtime by family type

Total and 'extreme' unpaid overtime by public/private sector

* The number of workers in these categories is too low to calculate the incidence of unpaid overtime.

- Unpaid overtime of less than one hour per week is excluded from the calculations.

- Sources: ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2009 and ONS Labour Force Survey Summer 2009.

- According to the Labour Force Survey Autumn 2009, 325,000 employed people were

looking for an additional job, 459,000 were looking for a replacement job with longer

hours and 2.7 million wanted to work longer hours in their current job, bringing the underemployed total up to 2.8 million.

- A full breakdown of unpaid overtime by occupation is available from the TUC press office.

- Further information on the Work Your Proper Hours Day campaign, including facts and figures, games, quizzes, downloadable posters and an online long hours advice clinic can be found at www.workyourproperhoursday.org.uk

- 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 (1,300 words) issued 26 Feb 2010