Teachers and lecturers top poll of most unpaid overtime

The figures from the Trades Unions Congress (TUC), ahead of Work Your Proper Hours Day tomorrow, reveal show that despite a slight downturn in the amount of unpaid overtime, education professionals top the poll of occupations with the most additional unpaid hours.

On Work Your Proper Hours Day the TUC is urging staff to take a stand for one day a year by taking a proper lunch break and going home on time. Managers should use the day to say thank you to their staff, by taking them for a cocktail or coffee. More details are available at: www.workyourproperhoursday.com

UCU joint general secretary, Sally Hunt, said: 'It will come as little surprise that education professionals are working extra hours to get the job done. Rising class and seminar sizes, increased bureaucracy and ever greater pressure to compete make a mockery of the work life balance for many.

'Lecturers tell me that their work increasingly impacts upon family life. An after work coffee or cocktail would be a nice gesture, but what we really need is a recognition by universities and colleges that we cannot build a world class education sector on the exploitation of staff.'

The TUC figures show that teachers and lecturers who put in unpaid overtime did 11 hours six minutes unpaid overtime a week, which would be worth more than £9,500 a year if paid at the average hourly rate.

Education professionals do the highest amount of unpaid overtime of any significant workforce group, nearly an hour more than the second biggest group - senior officers in the police, fire and armed services.