TUC: Night workers in the North East deserve better pay and conditions
- New analysis shows that 1 in 3 night-workers earn less than £10 an hour
- Key workers are twice as likely to do night shifts than other workers
- Many working overnight are on low pay and insecure contracts, warns union body
New analysis published by the union body reveals that 1 in 3 (35%) night-workers in the UK earn less than £10 an hour. This is despite the heightened health risks that come with night work and the disruption it causes to workers’ lives.
Key workers
The analysis also shows that key workers (100,000) account for more than half of the North East’s 201,000 night-workers.
Key workers are twice as likely to work overnight than other workers.
Low-paid and insecure
The TUC says that many key workers who keep vital services going overnight are undervalued and often employed on low pay and insecure contracts.
Care workers are more likely to work night shifts than other profession. But many earn less than £10 an hour and are on zero-hours contracts.
The union body says the government must use its long-awaited employment bill to “level up” conditions for workers in this sector starting with banning zero-hours contracts.
Health impact of night work
As well as being bad for family life, the health risks of regular night work include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression.
The TUC is calling for a number of measures to protect and compensate night workers. These include:
Working through the night is tough – especially in the middle of a global pandemic.
We all owe night workers in our region a huge debt for keeping services running while we are asleep.
It is not right that so many of those who work overnight – especially in key sectors like care – are on low pay and insecure contracts.
The government must ensure that all night workers are treated with dignity at work. That means levelling up working conditions and pay and ensuring people are given proper notice of their shifts.
And it means honouring the promise to increase the minimum wage that would benefit over two million key workers.
Notes to editors:
Top 10 occupations for night workers
|
Profession |
Number |
|
Caring Personal Services |
406,000 |
|
Nursing and Midwifery Professionals |
245,000 |
|
Protective Service Occupations |
194,000 |
|
Road Transport Drivers |
186,000 |
|
Other Elementary Services Occupations |
162,000 |
|
Health Professionals |
116,000 |
|
Elementary Security Occupations |
89,000 |
|
Sales Assistants and Retail Cashiers |
88,000 |
|
Artistic, Literary and Media Occupations |
81,000 |
|
Elementary Storage Occupations |
76,000 |
|
Managers and Proprietors in Hospitality and Leisure Services |
74,000 |
Source: ONS Labour Force Survey, Apr-Jun 20, Usual to work at night
Night workers by UK region/nation
|
|
Region/nation |
Number of night workers |
Number of key workers doing night shifts |
% of night workers who are key workers |
||||
|
North East |
201,000 |
100,000 |
50% |
|
||||
|
North West |
424,000 |
231,000 |
54% |
|
||||
|
Yorkshire and Humberside |
306,000 |
183,000 |
60% |
|
||||
|
East Midlands |
267,000 |
133,000 |
50% |
|
||||
|
West Midlands |
285,000 |
136,000 |
48% |
|
||||
|
East of England |
293,000 |
150,000 |
51% |
|
||||
|
London |
415,000 |
180,000 |
44% |
|
||||
|
South East |
417,000 |
218,000 |
52% |
|
||||
|
South West |
259,000 |
137,000 |
53% |
|
||||
|
Wales |
169,000 |
97,000 |
57% |
|
||||
|
UK |
3,410,000 |
1,764,000 |
52% |
|
||||
Source: Source: ONS Labour Force Survey, Apr-Jun 20, Usual to work at night
-The TUC estimates (based on official figures) that 1.2 million night-workers earn less than £10 an hour. That equates to more than 1 in 3 (35%) of night workers.
-17% of key workers regularly work overnight compared to 8% of other workers.
-The Trades Union Congress (TUC) exists to make the working world a better place for everyone. We bring together more than 5.5 million working people who make up our 48 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Contacts:
TUC press office
media@tuc.org.uk
020 7467 1248
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