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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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AM congratulates bank on opposition to out of hours culture
February 7, 2007 3:20 PM
Welsh Liberal Democrat AM for South Wales West Peter Black has congratulated Halifax/Bank of Scotland on its decision to campaign against the long hours culture that affects many workers throughout the UK.
Up to 70,000 staff at Halifax mortgage lender and Bank of Scotland will be expected to leave promptly at the end of work on Friday 23 February - 'Work Your Proper Hours Day' rather than undertake unpaid overtime. Amicus have said that it is estimated that over five million people in the UK regularly do unpaid overtime, giving their employers £23 billion of free work every year.
"All sides in industry and government agree that the issue of work-life balance is a vital one," said Mr. Black. "People who do not get the balance right between work, and time with family and friends are more stressed as a result, and more prone to illness and needing time off as a consequence. Nor is it the case that all this unpaid overtime helps the economy. Countries like France and Germany which do not have the same 'long hours' problem have better productivity than we do here."
"Halifax/Bank of Scotland is to be congratulated on this initiative, as are trade unions like Amicus for keeping the spotlight on this important issue. We've all seen recent research from organisations like the New Economics Foundation which show that for all our wealth in this country comparative to the rest of the world, we are badly off in well-being and happiness. Getting a proper balance between our work and personal lives would be a huge step towards putting this right."
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