As the clocks went back on Saturday 26 October, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) published new analysis which revealed the number of Black and brown workers regularly doing night work has skyrocketed. It shows yet another example of systemic racism in play.
Black and brown people bearing the brunt of night work
While number of white workers doing night work has fallen, Black and brown workers are increasingly bearing the brunt of night shifts.
The analysis shows that 360,000 more Black and brown staff are working through the night compared to 2014 – a rise of 71%.
By contrast, the number of white workers regularly doing this has fallen by more than 570,000 (a 19% reduction).
One in six Black and brown workers now do regular night work – compared to one in 11 white workers.
Other groups for whom night work has become more common since 2014 include young workers (age 16-24) – where there has been an increase of 37,500, and older workers (55+), with an increase of 178,200.
Sectors where night workers are mostly found include transport and storage; health and social work; and accommodation and food services.
Extra demand on night workers
This analysis is published as part of a new joint union report – undertaken on behalf of Community, CWU, Equity, RMT, and TSSA by University of Greenwich and Anglia Ruskin University – which shows staff shortages are leading to excessive work demands being placed on these staff.
These include them working overtime to cover for vacancies or colleagues’ absences and undertaking longer and more intensive shifts.
According to the unions’ report, the health risks of regular night work include cardiovascular, gastrointestinal and metabolic disorders such as diabetes and metabolic disorders.
Night shift intensification also leads to excessive fatigue, as well as to deterioration of family and social relations.
Further, night workers face safety risks when travelling to and from shifts, particularly women.
Employment Rights Bill will help night workers
The TUC says the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill will lead to real improvements in working conditions for those doing regular night shifts.
Night workers are twice as likely to be on zero-hours contracts.
Under the government’s plans exploitative ZHCs will be banned. And workers will be given compensation if their shifts are cancelled at the last minute.
According to the Department for Business and Trade, cleaners working night shifts – on an average annual wage of £21,058 – are among those who are set to gain new protections worth an extra £600 a year.
Commenting on the challenges, TUC general secretary Paul Nowak said:
We all owe Britain’s night workers a huge debt for keeping the country running while the rest of us are asleep.
They do vital work. But too many night workers are on insecure contracts that can often lead to exploitation, excessive fatigue and a breakdown of personal relationships.
And it is no coincidence that the burden of nightwork now disproportionally falls on Black and ethnic minority workers. This is the result of persistent structural inequalities in our labour market.
The government’s landmark Employment Rights Bill will bring real benefits and protections for night workers – including a ban on exploitative zero-hours contracts and compensation for cancelled shifts.
Further, the Bill will ensure that workers have a stronger voice in the workplace – which can include proper consultation of workers around shift patterns they are expected to take on.
Night work: not really good for anybody
Sian Moore, professor of work and employment at Anglia Ruskin University, said:
Scientific research shows that night work has significant impacts on workers’ physical and mental health.
Our interviews with night workers show that they are sleep deprived and permanently fatigued, with insufficient time for recovery between shifts and recovery eating into workers’ own time.
Women worked nights to enable them to take and collect children to and from school and in order to avoid childcare costs. There were reports of parents swapping children in car parks between their shifts.
Yet nightwork has negative effects on relationships with partners and children and on social lives.
Those on night shifts may be lone workers and thus face significant risk, including dealing with violence.
Many night workers are not paid extra or sufficiently to compensate them for these risks, which have particular impacts as workers get older.
Featured image via the Canary
