Public sector women bear unpaid overtime burden

The number of staff doing unpaid overtime has gone up in the public sector over the last decade, but has held steady in the private sector, according to a new analysis of official figures by the TUC. We know from branch research that housing associations have matched the public sector in that respect. Unite reps across the sector are taking the questions of stress and long hoirs with management. TUC found unpaid overtime is more common in the public sector, with more than one in four public servants doing unpaid overtime compared to around one in six of workers in the private sector. It said the increase in unpaid overtime across the public sector over the last decade is almost entirely driven by more than a quarter of a million extra women doing hours for free.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said:

“Times are tough for public sector workers. As the cuts bite and fewer staff find themselves having to take on more work, unpaid overtime inevitably grows. Some of the increase will be down to the professionalism and commitment of staff who want to provide decent services. But there is also evidence of bullying and excessive management pressure in some workplaces.”

She added: “It is not surprising that morale is so low across the public sector. Hours are up, workload has increased, pay has been frozen, pensions cut and jobs insecure as public sector staff know that 60 per cent of the cuts are still to come.”