According to new TUC analysis of official statistics, 450,000 people in the South West put in an average of 7 hours a week in unpaid overtime during 2018. That’s equivalent to having £5,587 taken out the average worker’s pay packet every year.
Today (Friday) is the TUC’s 15th annual Work Your Proper Hours Day, marking the fact that the average person doing unpaid overtime has effectively worked the year so far for free.
Overall, companies in the South West claimed more than £2.5 billion of free labour last year because of workers’ doing unpaid overtime.
TUC Regional Secretary for the South West Nigel Costley said:
“It’s not okay for bosses to steal their workers’ time.”
“Lots of us are willing to put in a few extra hours when it’s needed, but too many employers are taking advantage of working people’s generosity and love for their profession.”
“Overworking staff hurts productivity, leaves workers’ stressed and exhausted, and eats into precious time that should be spent with family and friends.”
“Bosses who do steal people’s time should face consequences. So we’re calling for new rights to ensure that employers who break the rules on working time can be brought to employment tribunals.”
"Too many employers are taking advantage of working people’s generosity and love for their profession.”
As part of Work Your Proper Hours Day, the TUC South West is also encouraging workers to take a proper lunch break and leave on time.
Employers should also adopt good practice and take steps to manage down unpaid overtime hours.
TUC analysis also found that the teaching profession has the longest unpaid hours in the country, with chief executives and managers clocking up long unpaid overtime hours. TUC South West spoke to a number of workers who all experienced working extra unpaid hours as part of their job.
“The department I work in is fantastic but understaffed; I am currently doing a two-person role by myself. I really do love my job but never seem to have the time to prep for my lessons, fulfil assessment requests or finish jobs.”
“We’re technically allowed ‘time off in lieu’, but the impact this would have on pupils, it’s impossible to do. I don’t think I’ve ever taken time off in lieu. Since I started the role in 2014, I consistently work more than I’m paid. That’s too many unpaid hours to think about!”
“It’s typical for teachers like me to work double the actual hours we are paid.”
“We often spend our days off, weekends and evenings, going through onerous planning requirements, data gathering, marking pupils’ homework. And that does not include time spent working during the holidays.”
“I can see all around me teachers leaving the profession in droves – we’re overworked and stressed out.”
“I have dyslexia which affects my ability to process written information. When I have access to assistive technology, I can work as effectively as anyone else. However, despite going through the motions around assessments for reasonable adjustments, my employer took 12 months to put anything in place. To keep on top of my job I was regularly working an extra 10-15 hours each week, unpaid.”
“If I am on leave, no one does my job. Even when I’m away, my team will regularly phone me because they need me to do something. They also tell me how things fell apart while I was away or out.
“Last year, I carried over 12.5 days annual leave. I’m also have an additional 2 weeks’ worth of overtime hours that I somehow should take back in lieu of pay.”
Even when I am on a training course, I will come in earlier and then will spend my lunch break catching up. I definitely feel the pressure to work excessive hours.”
“I regularly work over my contracted hours without pay because the job I do involves saving people’s lives, and if I’m honest, because I love my job. My manager allows me to take the time back ‘in lieu’, but I don't always feel it’s possible to do so.”
To keep on top of my job I was regularly working an extra 10-15 hours each week, unpaid.
Notes to editors:
Table 1 – Numbers of workers in unpaid overtime
Number working unpaid overtime |
Proportion working unpaid overtime |
Average weekly hours of unpaid overtime |
Average gross hourly pay |
Total value per week (£000s) |
Total value per year (£m) |
Annual value per worker |
|
South West |
454,000 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Bristol |
90800 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Cornwall |
45400 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Devon |
108,960 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Plymouth |
21338 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Bth/Poole |
42222 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Dorset |
68100 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Glos |
81720 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Somerset |
86260 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Wiltshire |
63560 |
19.9% |
7.0 |
£15.28 |
48,743 |
2,535 |
£5,587 |
Table 3 – unpaid overtime for occupations with longest average unpaid hours
Occupation |
Number employees working unpaid overtime |
Per cent working unpaid overtime |
Average unpaid hours |
Teaching and educational professionals |
735,000 |
52.5% |
12.1 |
Chief Executive |
41,000 |
39.5% |
11.4% |
Legal professionals |
69,000 |
42.5% |
10.2 |
Hospitality and catering managers |
40,000 |
17.6% |
9.7 |
Functional managers* |
374,000 |
40.4% |
9.2 |
Production managers |
133,000 |
32.1% |
8.9 |
88,000 |
32.7% |
8.9 |
|
Finance institution managers |
35,000 |
42.3% |
8.9 |
Senior officers in the protective services |
15,000 |
28.4% |
8.7 |
Welfare professionals |
50,000 |
31.3% |
8.5 |
Key findings
Source: the TUC’s analysis used unpublished ONS data from the Labour Force Survey (July-September 2018) and the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (2018)
*Functional managers: financial managers, marketing and sales directors, purchasing managers, advertising and public relations directors, human resource managers, IT managers.
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 49 member unions. We support unions to grow and thrive, and we stand up for everyone who works for a living.
Want to hear about our latest news and blogs?
Sign up now to get it straight to your inbox
To access the admin area, you will need to setup two-factor authentication (TFA).