WORKERS in Worcestershire are being urged to take their proper lunch breaks and leave on time after figures show employees in the West Midlands did more than £2 billion worth of unpaid overtime last year.

Figures released as part of the TUC's Work Your Proper Hours Day reveal that 380,000 workers in the region did unpaid overtime in 2014 worth, on average, £5,846 each. Those working beyond their contracted hours did, on average, 8.2 hours of unpaid overtime a week.

TUC Midlands regional secretary Lee Barron said: “Staff in the West Midlands work among the longest hours in Europe and are not even paid for much of the extra time they put in. Staff don’t mind doing a few additional hours during busy periods, but too many employers take this goodwill for granted and forget to thank their staff. Further problems arise when those occasional extra hours become the norm, and staff become over-worked and under-paid.

“Bosses who encourage long hours in the office should re-think their approach as stressed, over-worked staff are often unhappy and less productive.”

To mark Work Your Proper Hours Day the TUC is calling on staff to take a proper lunch break and leave work on time. Managers are also being encouraged to lead by example and encourage their staff to work their proper hours.

The TUC analysis shows how across the UK, workers in education put in the longest unpaid hours (9.7 per week), followed by employees in the hospitality industry (9.3) and mining and quarrying (9.2). Unpaid overtime is more common in the public sector (27.4 per cent of employees) than the private sector (18.5 per cent of employees). The public sector is benefitting from £11.6 billion worth of free hours a year.