Journalists and other media workers are giving away more than £5,000 in unpaid overtime every year, according to new research by the Trades Union Congress.

The group's findings, based on the official government Labour Force Survey, suggest that the average employee in the media industry works 7.4 hours on top of their contracted hours each week - an average of about £5,400 of free labour per year.

Journalists come fourth in the TUC's league table for the percentage of people working unpaid overtime (50 per cent of all staff) behind the teaching, banking and health sectors.

The National Union of Journalists is encouraging members to take part in the TUC's "Work Your Proper Hours" day today, which the TUC calculates is the day of the year when staff would begin to be paid if they worked all of their annual unpaid overtime in one go at the start of the year.

NUJ general secretary Michelle Stanistreet said the unpaid overtime problem was "rife in our industry".

She said in a release: "Cuts to editorial posts and recruitment freezes mean that many are working longer and longer hours. We are all prepared to go the extra mile when required, but members are routinely covering for their former colleagues and working excessive hours.

"Make sure that you and your colleagues have a proper break and go home when your shift is supposed to end; employers cannot rely on your goodwill forever. Make home-time your deadline."
 
TUC general secretary Brendan Barber said in a blog post: "While many of the extra unpaid hours worked could easily be reduced by improving work practices, a small number of employers are exploiting staff by regularly forcing them to do excessive amounts of extra work for no extra pay.

"This attitude is not only bad for workers' health, it's bad for the economy too as it reduces productivity and holds back job creation.

"No one wants to see us to become a nation of clock-watchers. But a more sensible and grown up attitude to working time could cut out needless unpaid hours and help more people into work."