Knowing your rights in the workplace
A report by the TUC has confirmed that 900,000 people in the UK are giving up significant amounts of their own time to work on unpaid at their place of employment. While it comes as no surprise to learn that many people are "going that extra mile" to safeguard their future employment positions, there is concern that some employers are using the difficult economic climate to their advantage.
While officially no employees should be asked to work overtime unpaid, the recent UK recession has knocked many businesses for six with significant financial damage across the board. As a consequence while unemployment has remained steady over the last few weeks it is likely to push higher in the short to medium term citing more and more people to put extra hours in unpaid to safeguard not only their employers but their own income.
The problems will come when the UK pulls clear of the recession and the business environment steadies and begins to expand. As an employee it is difficult to know when to revert back to more traditional working hours on full pay. Those who are unsure about their rights should contact the various employment associations in the UK set up to help explain the rights of employees and employers.
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