Latest Government figures on the amount of time employees spend at work are
evidence that British workers risk burning out, the TUC has said.
Figures from the Office for National Statistics on labour market trends show
that 5.4 million workers – nearly one in five of the workforce – would prefer
to change their hours, with most wanting to work fewer hours for less pay.
Older workers, managers, those in top-paying occupations and workers who had
been with their employers a long time would gladly cut hours.
One in six people worked more than 48 hours a week, and one in 10 men more
than 55 hours a week, the figures showed.
TUC general secretary John Monks said: "We are not mounting an argument
for the work-shy but an argument for British business productivity.
"Long hours are bad for workers and bad for business."
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He called on the Government to work with unions to ensure minimum standards
and find flexible solutions to cutting long hours.
– ONS figures have also show that the number of people aged 80 and over will
have increased by almost half by 2025 and the number of people of working age
will have risen by 5.6 per cent, from 36.9 million in 2000 to 39 million by
2011.
