Employees up and down the country will come to work today(Friday) at their proper starting time, take a proper lunch break and leave on time as part of the TUC’s first ever ’Work Your Proper Hours day’. Today has been chosen by the TUC as it is the first day people who do unpaid overtime would get paid if they did all their unpaid overtime at the beginning of the year.
The day has been called as part of the TUC’s ’It’s about time’ campaign aimed at calling a halt to the UK’s long hours culture, and giving staff a better work/life balance.
According to official statistics (from which all the figures for this campaign have been taken) five million people regularly do unpaid overtime in the UK, and do an average of 7 hours 24 minutes each week. If they were paid, they would get 23 billion extra in pay or 4,500 extra a year each.
TUC General Secretary Brendan Barber said: We are not saying that we should become a nation of clockwatchers. But we do work the longest hours in Europe, and the biggest growth has been among people doing unpaid overtime. In too many workplaces this gets taken for granted, with the loyalty and commitment of staff rarely recognised. So we’re saying that just for one day a year staff should work their proper hours, and leave on time - preferably to be bought a coffee or cocktail by their grateful boss.
What’s going on
Media opportunity: light-hearted demo against long hours, Friday 8am - 8.30am, Liverpool Street Station, outside Liverpool St entrance to middle of the station (platform 10), call TUC press office for contact details.
Take lunch, leave on time - today’s ’Work Your Proper Hours Day’
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