U.K. OVERTIME STILL RISING

Press, Volume CIX, Issue 31942, 20 March 1969, Page 8

U.K. OVERTIME STILL RISING

(N.Z. PA.-Reuter)

LONDON. Overtime in Britain is rising to a serious level, according to a leading union. In the last 30 years, while official working hours have come down, the amount of overtime worked by the average factory employee has risen 12 times from 30 minutes a week to six hours.

This has virtually cancelled 11 all efforts to cut down the j. working week, according to a 7 report issued by the Amalga- 1 mated Union of Engineering and Foundry Workers. The report says: “If the in-i' vestigation were carried fur-| ther to determine the amount of available leisure time, the j result would certainly show an, actual decrease. “Available figures give no indication, for example, of the increase to the working day

cation of the extent of doublejobbing, which it has been suggested involved something 1 like 16 per cent of workers” Largely because of overtime, the Briton's working week is considerably longer , than that in most industrial- [ ised countries, the report : says. | In Sweden, for example, a worker spends an average of 1779 hours at work each year, Americans 1976, West Germans 2092.

caused through homes being located further away from places of employment. “Neither is there any indi-

Britons top the poll with no less than 2137—nearly nine weeks of working days longer than the Swedes.