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Unwelcome return of the long hours culture

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Unwelcome return of the long hours culture

An extra 180,000 people across the UK are now working more than 48 hours a week, according to a TUC analysis of official statistics. The figures, included in a new TUC report, 'The return of the long hours culture', show the number of people working long hours has increased at a faster rate over the last year than the decline in excessive working between 1998 and 2006. In the first quarter of 2008, the total number of people working long hours increased by 0.5 per cent -180,000 people - to 3.3 million, the report says. It argues that the recent increase in the number of people working long hours is due to the challenging economic climate, which has made employers more reluctant to recruit new staff and instead work existing employees harder. The analysis also finds that 85 per cent of new long hours workers are male. The TUC believes that this trend, in which senior jobs are increasingly reliant on long hours, could hamper efforts to close the pay gap, as women with childcare responsibilities are likely to be excluded from these roles. TUC general secretary Brendan Barber commented: 'After slow but steady progress over the last decade, long hours working is making its way back into Britain's workplaces. Employees across the UK already work the longest hours in Western Europe and the recent increase will mean lower productivity, more stress and less time to have a life outside the office with friends and family.'

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