The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has published analysis revealing that the number of Black and ethnic minority (BME) workers regularly doing night shifts has skyrocketed.
The analysis showed that 360,000 more BME staff worked through the night compared to 2014 – a rise of 71%.
By contrast, the number of white workers regularly doing night shifts fell by more than 570,000, a 19% reduction.
One in six BME 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 (16 to 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.
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 night workers.
These include night workers working overtime to cover for vacancies or colleagues’ absences and undertaking longer and more intensive shifts.
According to the TUC 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, as well as safety risks when travelling to and from shifts, particularly for women.
The TUC said the forthcoming Employment Rights Bill would 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, but under the Government’s plans these 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 – were among those set to gain new protections worth an extra £600 a year.
Paul Nowak, general secretary at TUC, commented: “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.”
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.”
Paul McKenna, national officer for Light Industries at Community Union, said: “Community is pleased to have contributed towards this landmark academic report which shines a light on the often underreported impacts and risks of night work.
“The experiences of our members who work night shifts – some of whom are quoted in the report – are a testament to the physical and mental toll of their labour, and the day-to-day challenges they face.
“This can include everything from difficulty accessing medical appointments without using annual leave; having a poor diet and being unable to properly exercise; having a disrupted work-life balance; and being impacted by sleep deprivation.
“We fully support all of the report’s recommendations, including the need for more robust fatigue risk management; stronger regulation of shift times; increased recovery time between shifts; suitable safety provisions for workers travelling to and from night shifts; and the avoidance of lone working wherever possible.
“There’s a feeling among many night shift workers that they are often a forgotten part of the workforce, despite representing a quarter of all British workers.
“This has to change, and we hope this new report can kickstart a national conversation about how we make work safer and fairer for those who work through the night.”