Surge in Christmas Day working

AN INCREASING number of people are working on Christmas Day, with hospitals, hotels and pubs asking more staff to forego a festive break, according to a new study.

The TUC said almost 172,000 workers were on duty on 25 December in 2010, a 78 per cent increase compared with 2004, with NHS and social care staff making up the biggest group.

TUC general-secretary Brendan Barber said: “Unions have worked hard to make sure that the UK’s Christmas Day employees get premium rates, earning double or even triple their normal pay.

“But whether it be the emergency services, call centre workers, people working in petrol stations or in hotels and restaurants, let’s remember all those whose work helps keep the country ticking over while the rest of us are enjoying ourselves.”