Spare a thought for Christmas Day workers including clergy, says union chief
Paul Nowak, general secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), has urged the public to spare a thought for the 1.2 million people working on Christmas Day across the UK. This group includes care workers, NHS staff, retail workers, and some clergy who are union members. Clergy responsibilities during the holiday include opening premises, keeping people safe, and ensuring heating.
Many of these Christmas Day workers are employed on zero-hours contracts or in low-paid positions. The recently enacted Employment Rights Act aims to address these issues by ending exploitative zero-hours contracts and improving pay and job security. From April of the following year, up to eight million workers will be entitled to sick pay from the first day.
Additional workers' rights provisions from the Act are expected to come into effect over the next 18 months to two years, further protecting vulnerable employees.
