As the clocks go back tonight (Saturday) to mark the beginning of winter, the TUC is calling for better pay and conditions for night-workers – including the 264,000 workers who regularly work night shifts in the West Midlands. Analysis published by the union body reveals that 1 in 3 (33%) night-workers earn less than £10 an hour. This is despite the heightened health risks that come with night work and the disruption it causes to workers’ lives.
The analysis also shows that key workers are twice as likely to work overnight than other workers, with 16% of key workers working night shifts, compared with 8% of other workers. The TUC says that many key workers who keep vital services going overnight are undervalued and often employed on low pay and insecure contracts.
Care workers (485,000) are more likely to work night shifts than other profession. But many earn less than £10 an hour and are on zero-hours contracts. The union body says the government must “level up” conditions for workers in this sector starting with banning zero-hours contracts and raising the minimum wage to £10 an hour. Carers should be paid for all their time on sleep-in shifts.
As well as being detrimental to family life, the health risks of regular night work include cardiovascular disease, diabetes and depression. The TUC is calling for a number of measures to protect and compensate night workers. These include:
· Pay to properly reflect the likely additional costs of childcare and inconvenience that night shifts can entail.
· New legislation to ensure that workers always have sufficient notice of their shift patterns so they can make arrangements well in advance.
· Compensation for shift changes at short notice.
Workers, particularly women, are at greater risk of harassment and attacks in their journey to and from work when it’s late at night. The TUC says employers should consider health hazards of night working in risk assessments, and take responsibility for workers’ safety travelling to and from the workplace at night.
TUC Regional Secretary Lee Baron said: “Working through the night is tough – with night-workers at higher risk of health problems and disruption to their daily lives.
“We all owe Britain’s night workers a huge debt for keeping the country running while we are asleep. It is not right that so many of those who work overnight – especially in key sectors like care – are on low pay and insecure contracts.
“The government must ensure that all night workers are treated with dignity at work. That means levelling up working conditions and pay and ensuring people are given proper notice of their shifts.
“And it means an immediate increase in the minimum wage to £10 an hour - which would benefit over two million key workers, and fair pay agreements across sectors which can agree fair rewards for those who work at night.”
