MORE than one million night workers are on poverty pay of less than £10 an hour, research by the TUC reveals today.

Analysis published by the union confederation reveals that one in three night workers is paid below that level, despite the heightened health risks that come with doing night shifts and the disruption they cause to workers’ lives.

The research also showed that key workers are almost twice as likely as others to be doing night shifts and that many are on insecure and zero-hours contracts.

As the clocks go back tonight with the end of British Summer Time, the TUC is calling for better pay and conditions for the 3.2 million workers who regularly work nights. 

It also said that employers should take responsibility for the safety of people travelling to and from work at night and recognise the disruption that night shifts cause to workers’ lives.

TUC general secretary Frances O’Grady said: “Working through the night is tough, with night workers at higher risk of health problems and disruption to their daily lives.

“We all owe Britain’s night workers a huge debt for keeping the country running while we are asleep.

“It is not right that so many of those who work overnight, especially in key sectors like care, are on low pay and insecure contracts.

“The government must ensure that all night workers are treated with dignity at work. That means levelling up working conditions and pay and ensuring people are given proper notice of their shifts.

“And it means an immediate increase in the minimum wage to £10 an hour, which would benefit over two million key workers, and fair-pay agreements across sectors which can agree fair rewards for those who work at night.”

The TUC said that improvement should start with banning zero-hours contracts and raising the minimum wage to £10 an hour, adding that carers should also be paid for all their time on sleep-in shifts. 

Workers affected most by night working are those in residential care and home carers (485,000), nursing auxiliaries and assistants (172,222), people in security and related jobs (161,868) and other nursing professionals (154,760).