WORKERS at the start of their careers in often insecure roles deserve the “right to switch off” outside of work hours, the TUC’s Young Workers’ Conference heard on Saturday.

Union representatives from all industries unanimously supported a motion to protect young people from having to respond to messages from their boss or go online outside of work hours.

The motion, brought forward by transport union TSSA, argued that young people were far more likely to have to prove themselves in early career positions and were often expected to respond to messages from higher-ups outside of shift times in an effort to seem “keen.”

Aslef’s Chris McCauley addressed the conference in Brighton supporting the measures.

He said: “Too many workers today feel like they’re never truly off the clock. The phone pings in the evening, and a quick message turns into another hour of unpaid work.

“This is about boundaries. This is about respect. This is about the kind of working lives we believe people deserve.

“The right to switch off is not radical. It’s common sense. When people are properly rested, they are more productive, more focused and safer at work.”

RMT delegate Etienne Ramsay agreed, adding that many of his Transport for London colleagues were not able to sleep because of the stress of being contacted after hours.

This results in them not feeling like “their free time is actually their free time,” he explained.

“Many unions in this room are campaigning for reduced working weeks. The right to switch off is fundamental to having that. It’s important we have this enshrined in legislation and our unions push for this.”

Teachers’ union NASUWT also supported the initiative, warning that a lack of protections surrounding out-of-hours work was in part driving people away from the profession.

Citing a BBC report, which said 77 per cent of teachers experienced mental health issues as a result of high workloads, NASUWT’s Sam Penfold said his colleagues were increasingly forced to work late into the night.

“I’ve seen teachers who have been in service longer than I have been alive break down into tears because of this imbalance between their work and personal lives,” he said.

“So where does this leave us at the beginning of our careers?

“It leaves us exhausted, disillusioned and struggling, no matter how much we care about the profession that we have chosen.”