The boss of Britain’s trade unions has urged those who are celebrating Christmas to spare a thought for those who have to work – including clergy at church services.
Paul Nowak says 1.2 million people will be working on Christmas Day, many of them care workers, nurses and other NHS staff.
Speaking to Sky News, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) general secretary said: “On Christmas Day, most of us will be spending it with our loved ones, our friends and family and enjoying the day.
“But there’ll be more than a million people at work, many of them, for example, in care homes or in retail, preparing for the Boxing Day sales.
“And it’s really important that we recognise the contribution of those workers as we go into Christmas.”
Speaking at the TUC’s Congress House HQ, Mr Nowak said many of those working will be on zero-hours contracts or in low-paid jobs.
“For those workers, hopefully they’ll be getting a Christmas present this year in the form of the government’s Employment Rights Act, which will get rid of exploitative zero-hours contracts and hopefully drive up pay and tackle insecure employment,” he said.
Asked about the clergy, Mr Nowak said: “There are members of the clergy who are union members, and of course, being a member of the clergy is a vocation, but it’s also a job.
“And alongside those who will be delivering sermons on Christmas Day, there’ll be people opening up churches and keeping people safe and making sure the heating’s turned on.
“So, it’s important to spare a thought for those workers as well.”
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He also claimed the Employment Rights Act, which received Royal Assent last week, as the perfect Christmas present for many people working over the festive season.
Mr Nowak said: “For many of the workers who are working at Christmas, they will be in low-paid, insecure employment.
“They’re precisely the sort of workers who will benefit most on the government’s Employment Rights Act. Up to eight million workers next April will get sick pay from day one for the first time ever, thanks to that Act.
“And there’ll be a whole new host of other rights coming online during the course of the next 18 months or two years, including an end to exploitative zero-hours contracts.
“So this is a really big step forward for low-paid workers in this country.”
