Frances O’Grady, general secretary of the Trade Union Confederation (TUC), criticized the front-line Tory leadership for “lecturing” people to work harder while many were struggling to make ends meet. Research carried out by the TUC in 2019 found that UK workers put in the most hours in the EU – with the average full-time worker in Britain clocking almost two hours more than the EU average, equivalent to an extra two and- half a week a year. In a recording leaked to the Guardian, Truss also risked pitting Londoners against the rest of the country by trying to explain the difference between the capital and other regions in the UK. Truss, who at the time of the comments was number two at the Treasury, suggested the difference was “partly a matter of mindset or attitude” and that there seemed little desire to change the working culture to make the UK more prosperous. However, O’Grady told the Guardian: “British workers have the longest working hours in Europe. However, millions are still struggling to make ends meet and put food on the table. Workers need a decent pay rise – not lectures on how to work harder. “Instead of hurting workers, her government should be putting in some ‘hard graft’ to protect families from rising bills and falling real wages.” London had the highest level of productivity of any UK region in 2020, with output per hour more than 50% higher than the median, according to the Office for National Statistics. However, this is widely believed to be the result of large multinationals based in the capital, higher involvement in research and development, business size and level of exports, and transport infrastructure. Truss’ comments on worker productivity outside London could be particularly damaging as earlier this month he was forced to reverse plans to cut civil servant pay outside the capital after an angry outcry from Tory MPs. Henri Murison, chief executive of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership, tweeted: “Suffice it to say if the bookies to be the next PM really believed this mentality [and] Her attitude can explain the North-South divide, then she was very wrong.” He later told Times Radio: “I don’t think actually the problem in the UK has much to do with people not applying themselves, if anything, working too many hours and not achieving much in terms of output is something very . biggest problem in the UK’. Many Britons also work extra hours but are not paid, with TUC analysis showing employers claimed £27bn of free labor last year because workers worked unpaid overtime. But Cabinet minister Keith Malthouse backed Truss’s remarks, telling LBC’s Nick Ferrari that workers needed to be encouraged to work harder. He said: “I think there are a lot of people in the British economy who are working[ing] extremely difficult. But I have to tell you that every school report I’ve ever had Nick, “could try harder”. So I don’t think there’s anything wrong with encouraging people to work as hard as they can.” Earlier, former health secretary Sajid Javid distanced himself from Truss’s comments, saying he did not know the context in which they were made but believed British workers were the hardest working in the world. Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you to the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morning Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Javid, who backed Truss to become the next prime minister, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Well, I know what you’re referring to, but I don’t know the context of that comment when it was made.” He added: “What I recognize and have long recognized as business secretary, as chancellor, in all the jobs I’ve had in government, is that governments need to do even more to improve our productivity. “Now, when it comes to British workers, they are the hardest working in the world.” In the recording, made while Truss was chief secretary to the Treasury, a role she held from 2017 to 2019, she said: “If you look at productivity, it’s very, very different in London to the rest of the country. But basically… this has been a historical fact for decades. Essentially, it’s partly a matter of mindset and attitude, I think. It is basically work culture. If you go to China it’s very different, I can assure you.” He said there was a “fundamental issue with British work culture” and that if the UK wanted to be “richer and more prosperous” then this would have to change. “There’s a little thing in Britain about wanting the easy answers,” he said. “That is my reflection on the election and what has come before, and the referendum – we are saying that it is all of Europe that is causing these huge problems… it is all these immigrants that are causing these problems. But actually what needs to happen is more … more grafting. It’s not a popular message. When asked about the comments at a leadership event in Perth on Tuesday night, Truss insisted she still believed British workers could be more productive. He said, “I don’t know what you’re referring to there [but] What we need in this country is more productivity and we need more economic growth.” Labor criticized Truss’ comments on the recording. Shadow work and pensions secretary Jonathan Ashworth said: “With wages shrinking thanks to the Tories’ failure to get inflation under control and years of lackluster growth, it is very insulting for Liz Truss to effectively label British workers as lazy ».
