Employees lose billions in unpaid overtime

Last year, staff gave their employers billions of pounds worth of free labour according to a new analysis of official statistics by the Trades Union Congress.

The statistics have been announced prior to today, which marks the TUC’s 14th annual Work Your Proper Hours Day.

In 2017, on average, 835,359 people in the region worked 7.3 hours a week in unpaid overtime.

This equates to £6,368 of lost pay per year per individual.

To mark the event, the TUC is urging employees to take a proper lunch break and leave work on time.

It is also imploring managers to move away from over-reliance on unpaid overtime.

TUC regional secretary for the South East Sam Gurney said: ‘Lots of us are willing to put in a bit of extra time but it’s a problem if it happens all the time.

‘If you’re worried about the long-hours culture where you work, get together with workmates and join a union. It’s the best way to get your voice heard, and stop your boss breaking the rules.’