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04/01/2007
NI employees rack up £300m in unpaid overtime
According to figures released today, employees in Northern Ireland worked just over £300 million worth of unpaid overtime in the last year.
The figures show that employees who worked unpaid overtime in Northern Ireland put in an average of 7 hours 12 minutes for free each week and had they been paid for this they would have taken home an extra £82.66 a week, which works out at £4,298 in "lost pay" a year, according to figures released by the TUC.
While employees across the province did £301 million worth of unpaid overtime last year, on average this was 24 minutes less than last year for the average long hours employee.
Assistant General Secretary of the NI Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Peter Bunting 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 Northern Ireland 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."
The TUC has declared today as a 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' and is calling on employees to take their proper lunch break and to go home on time.
According to the figures released, the worst regions for unpaid overtime were the North East, 7 hours 42 minutes, with London close behind at 7 hours 36 minutes. Scotland had the lowest average figure at 6 hours 30 minutes.
The TUC calculates 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 February 23.
(SP/EF)
The figures show that employees who worked unpaid overtime in Northern Ireland put in an average of 7 hours 12 minutes for free each week and had they been paid for this they would have taken home an extra £82.66 a week, which works out at £4,298 in "lost pay" a year, according to figures released by the TUC.
While employees across the province did £301 million worth of unpaid overtime last year, on average this was 24 minutes less than last year for the average long hours employee.
Assistant General Secretary of the NI Committee of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Peter Bunting 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 Northern Ireland 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."
The TUC has declared today as a 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' and is calling on employees to take their proper lunch break and to go home on time.
According to the figures released, the worst regions for unpaid overtime were the North East, 7 hours 42 minutes, with London close behind at 7 hours 36 minutes. Scotland had the lowest average figure at 6 hours 30 minutes.
The TUC calculates 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 February 23.
(SP/EF)
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