Official figures show that employees who do unpaid overtime in Scotland put in an average of 6 hours 30 minutes for free each week. If they were paid for this they would take home an extra £79.82 a week, which works out at £4,151 lost pay a year, according to figures released today (Thursday) by the Scottish TUC.
The TUC has calculated that if everyone in the UK who works unpaid overtime did all their unpaid work at the start of the year, the first day they would get paid would be Friday 23 February.
That is why the TUC has declared this ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’ and is calling on employees to use it to remind bosses of their extra unpaid work by taking a proper lunch break and going home on time for this one day a year. Employers should also use the day to say thank you to staff for their unpaid work, perhaps by buying them lunch or an after-work coffee or cocktail.
Across Scotland people did £1,728 million worth of unpaid overtime last year. On average this was 18 minutes less than last year for the average long hours employee.
STUC General Secretary Grahame Smith said: “We work the longest hours in Europe, and too many workplaces are gripped by a long hours culture. There are some small signs that we are getting a bit better, but there is still a long way to go.
“That is why we say that employees in Scotland should take a stand on ‘Work Your Proper Hours Day’ and for just one day a year take a full lunch break and go home on time. We do not want to turn Britain into a nation of clock watchers, and few mind putting in extra effort from time to time when it is needed, but it is too easy for extra time to get taken for granted and then expected every week.”
ENDS
For further information contact John Park 0141 337 8100 Kevin Buchanan 0141 337 8100