One in four employees 'unhappy with their job'

One in four British workers – six million employees – are dissatisfied with their jobs, and almost a third do not feel engaged by their employers, according to a survey by the Trades Union Congress and YouGov published today.

The report, "What Workers Want", is based on an August poll of 2,850 working people in the UK and comes ahead of the 140th TUC congress which opens next week in Brighton.

Increased workload was the main reason for frustration, cited by 46 per cent of respondents, while 42 per cent complained of "pay not keeping up with the cost of living".

Two in five of those polled complained of increased stress levels and 23 per cent of longer working hours. One in four said their workplace had unfair pay structures; 31 per cent said they did not get paid the same amount as others doing the equivalent jobs elsewhere.

Almost a third – 30 per cent – complained of poor promotion prospects and 27 per cent said they were not given adequate levels of training. The equivalent of three million people – 14 per cent – said they had been bullied in their current job. Other gripes included unsafe conditions, age discrimination and boring or repetitive work.

Almost all those questioned – 98 per cent – said the top attribute they wanted from a job was fair pay. A third said they did not enjoy their work.

The TUC's general secretary, Brendan Barber, said: "There are some challenging figures here for British employers. And there are lessons here for politicians. They must speak to workplace issues."