What the clocks going forward tomorrow means for workers – and whether you’ll be working an extra hour for free
MILLIONS of us will get one hour less in bed tomorrow morning as the clocks go forward.
The move from Greenwich Mean Time to British Summer Time means an extra hour of light in the evening and one less in the morning.
But what does the time changing from 1am to 2am tonight mean for workers on a late shift?
Here's everything you need to know about your rights.
Will I get to work an hour less?
Whether you'll get to work an hour less depends on what is stipulated in your employment contract.
If it says you have to work specific times, for example from 12am to 8am, you'll likely be able to enjoy a shorter shift.
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But if it states the number of hours you must work, such as eight-hour shift, you'll need to clock off an hour later than usual.
So the time might actually say 9am, for example, even though you won't have actually worked any more hours than normal.
Will I lose pay if I work less?
This also depends on your employment contract.
If you are a worker who receives a regular salary, you should get the normal amount regardless of whether you work one hour less.
But if your contract says you have to work between certain hours and you are paid for hours worked, the employer doesn't have to pay for the "lost hour" when clocks go forward.
John Palmer, senior adviser at the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (ACAS), told The Sun previously: "If an employee is paid hourly then they should be paid for every hour they work.
"So if they work an extra hour, they should be paid for the extra hour and vice versa."
Employers might choose to pay their employees despite working an hour less or ask them to work one extra hour at another time to compensate for the lost time, but this is completely up to them.
What are night workers' rights?
If you work night shifts you already have certain rights, according to the Working Time Regulations.
Why do the clocks change?
THE concept of changing the clocks first arrived in Britain in 1907, when William Willett, the great-great-grandfather of Coldplay lead singer Chris Martin, self-published a pamphlet called "The Waste of Daylight".
A year after Willett's death, in 1916, Germany became the first country to adopt daylight saving time.
The UK did the same a few weeks later, along with other nations involved in the First World War.
British Double Summer Time was temporarily introduced during the Second World War, with clocks kept one hour in advance of Greenwich Mean Time to increase productivity.
Since the war, Britain has operated under British Summer Time except for between 1968 and 1971 when the clocks went forward but were not put back.
You are classed as a night worker if you work at least three hours through the night, usually in the period between 11pm and 6am.
If you do night work, you should not have to work more than eight hours in a 24-hour period. This is usually calculated over a 17-week period.
Regular overtime is included in this average and workers cannot opt out of this limit.
Because of the health impacts of nighttime working, your employer must offer you a free health assessment on a regular basis too.
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