"Insecure and undervalued” night workers need stronger protections, says TUC
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Close to 3 million people - 1 in 10 workers - across Britain
regularly work nights. Night workers
are nearly twice as likely to be on
zero-hours contracts and more likely to be low
paid compared to others. Over 250,000 workers over
60 regularly do night work, as well as over 1 in 5 BME
workers across the country. The TUC says the Employment
Rights Bill...Request free trial
As the clocks go back tonight (Saturday) to mark the beginning of winter, the TUC says that many night workers – who keep Britain running while the country sleeps – urgently need stronger protections at work. Close to 3 million employees across the country – or just over 10% of the UK workforce – regularly do night work. And according to new TUC research nearly 200,000 of them are on zero-hours contracts – with night-workers nearly twice as likely to be employed on these contracts than the general population. The TUC says night workers also face significant health risks – including problems such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes – as well as fatigue, deterioration of family and social relations, and safety risks when travelling to and from shifts. Low pay, low rights Night workers make a fifth of those employed on zero-hours contracts in the UK today. The union body says zero-hours contracts give employers complete control over workers' hours – and therefore pay – meaning workers often don't know how much they will earn each week. This makes it hard for workers to plan their lives, budget and look after their children. Night workers are also predominantly working in low paid sectors “plagued by insecure work” – such as the entertainment and leisure industry, health and social work and security. TUC analysis of the Labour Force Survey shows that night workers are also more likely to be low-paid and to earn below £15 an hour compared to the general population. Night work inequalities TUC analysis of the night workforce reveals that:
Employment Rights Bill The TUC says the Employment Rights Bill, which will return to Parliament next week, will lead to real improvement in working conditions for night workers. In particular, the Bill will help night workers by:
Social care workers, who are over-represented among night workers, will also stand to gain significantly from the Bill - as it will introduce new mechanisms to negotiate better terms, conditions and pay across the sector through a Fair Pay Agreement. The union body is urging Tory and Lib Dem Peers - who in the summer voted to keep workers on zero-hours contracts - to "stop trying to block” stronger rights for millions of workers, including night workers. The TUC says it is vital that the government delivers the Employment Rights Bill in full as soon as possible - adding that that delivering the legislation is only the first step, and that “watertight secondary legislation” will be crucial so there are no loopholes for bad bosses. TUC General Secretary Paul Nowak said: “We all owe night workers a huge debt. They do vital work keeping Britain running while the rest of the country sleeps.
"But despite putting their health on the line - many lack the protections they need and are stuck on low pay and zero-hours contracts which hand almost total power over hours and earnings to bosses. “It's time these workers got the stronger rights they deserve. Banning zero-hours contracts and compensating workers for cancelled shifts are just some of the ways in which the Employment Rights Bill will make a real difference to the lives of many night workers.
“All politicians must now do what it takes to pass the Bill in full as soon as possible, so that workers across the country can start benefiting from its transformative measures. That includes ensuring the secondary legislation is watertight so there are no loopholes for bad bosses to exploit.”
ENDS - Methodology: TUC analysis of Labour Force Survey 2025 Q2, filtered to employees only. - More on the impact of night work can be found in this 2024 report undertaken on behalf of Community, CWU, Equity, RMT and TSSA by University of Greenwich and Anglia Ruskin University
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