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More Xmas workers than ever

21/12/2007

More people are set to work this Christmas Day than ever before, research has suggested.

According to analysis of official statistics up to 135,000 workers British workers will be treating December 25th as a normal working day.

The TUC, which compiled the data, said that the number of Christmas workers had doubled over the last six years.

In 1998 72,013 people went to work on Christmas Day, compared to 134,489 in 2004.

This increase of 87 per cent pales in comparison to the 3.6 per cent rise in total UK employees.

"More people than ever before will be at work this Christmas Day, reflecting the changing nature of the way we live our lives," said TUC general secretary Brendan Barber.

"So spare a thought for the people who will be hard at work while we're opening our presents, tucking into our turkey dinners and sipping a glass of mulled wine."

Among the thousands working on Christmas Day will be journalists, firefighters, nuclear engineers and zookeepers.