Nursery World - Nursery staff top unpaid overtime

More than half of nursery nurses work unpaid overtime every week, with nearly a quarter working between four and ten hours extra, according to a new survey by public sector union Unison. 'Sustaining Communities: Taking the Strain' asked 3,688 local government workers about their pay and conditions, including how many hours they worked each week for which they were not paid or did not receive time off in lieu.

'Sustaining Communities: Taking the Strain' asked 3,688 local government workers about their pay and conditions, including how many hours they worked each week for which they were not paid or did not receive time off in lieu.

Thirty-four per cent of nursery nurses and a similar number of teaching assistants in England said they worked up to four hours unpaid a week.

Twenty-three per cent of nursery nurses, and 22 per cent of teaching assistants, said they worked between four and ten hours extra a week.

The survey also found that 13 per cent of the nursery nurses and 17 per cent of the teaching assistants surveyed were holding down two or more jobs.

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