Break times

[funkyrich]

How long can an employer make you work before you must have a break? I work in a food factory where the following scenario often takes place..

Start work approx 6.10 am and we are often still working way past 9.00.This is a long time to wait for breakfast!

Mind you with a company obsessed with "Targets", worker's comforts are an irrelevance!

[january_bug]

Legally, you are entitled to the following breaks:

• 20 minutes off during the day if your day is longer than 6 hours.


• A clear period of 11 hours away from work in a 24 hour period.


• Weekly rest (although this can be legally acheived with 12 days on, two days off).


• Confirmation of what I just said

So, no, you are not entitled to a break after 2 hrs 50 minutes - nowhere near! Sorry!

[funkyrich]

Thank you January Bug for your answer and useful link. I must admit I was quite suprised by this. I could understand it if it concerned say for example office workers who,for the most part,are sitting down in relative comfort but we are standing next to a conveyor belt in quite cold conditions for long periods of time.

People I have spoken to,outside of the company, were disgusted to learn how long we had to wait for a break and were convinced this was breaking the law.

[january_bug]

funkyrich - you may then also be suprised to learn that office work is very bad for the health! Constantly having ones hands to the keyboard and eyes focussed on a monitor is bad for posture and eyesite!

I'm sorry that you are disappointed by your working conditions. I used to be a waitress and worked 6am-10am shifts without a break and, like many people in the catering industry, have worked 10 hour shifts without anything more than one loo stop! I think you're got it reasonably easy, but by the same token, I can see why you're annoyed!!

Without meaning to sound annoying, can't you just eat something at 6am? Or "go to the loo" between 6:10 and 9am and eat something then!?! There are ways round every system. :-)

[Scarlett]

When I used to work for Tescos and Asda I got no breaks if I was doing a 3 hour shift (5-8pm) and I got a 15 minute break if I was doing more than 3 hours. All day got you an unpaid lunch hour and 2 x tea breaks.

Now I am a teacher, I am at work at 8am, teach from 9-4.30pm and get 30 mins break, most of which is getting the room set up for the next lesson/helping students/eating a roll at my desk while doing my registers (online). Like you, I start early- I live far away from work so I get up at 6.30am and have breakfast then. That's 6 hours work before I get a break. I think you will find other teachers/nurses etc in similar boats.

[january_bug]

Scarlett - your post reminded me - the breaks you're entitled to legally (and, as you so perfectly illustrated, many people don't get!) - are not paid breaks. You're legally entitled to an UNPAID rest. :-(

[Buenchico]

I've just got to join the list:

In teaching, I'd rarely get time for a cuppa' at morning break. Because I ran lunchtime activities (and was in charge of first aid) I probably only got a lunch break every third day. After school it was usually straight into other activities, which could mean a cricket match ending at 9.30p.m. (On a couple of occasions I was still putting up stage lights for a play until 1.00a.m. with not as much as a cup of tea from 8.30a.m.). Then a 20 minute walk home, ready to start a few hours marking and lesson preparation. (When I started teaching, I only went to bed every other night to fit it all in).

When I was delivering cars for a living, my days were an average of 13 hours long, nearly always without any breaks. (My longest day, without any breaks, lasted twenty-three and a half hours).

My current job includes 12 hour shifts, also without any scheduled breaks. (We're exempt from the legislation). It's a case of 'grab a cuppa when you can'. On a busy day these opportunities sometimes don't arise.

Funkyrich's job sounds rather cushy to me!

Chris

[stanleyman]

I work for myself and take a break whenever I feel like it.

[undercovers]

Office work - my last company were trying to wind up all its operations, but for various reasons decided to do this by making life as annoying as possible for the workers until they left (not to be replaced) - i'm sure they had a good reason but it did seem a bit odd becuase basically they just stopped giving us any work - towards the end of my employment (jumped ship a few months ago) I quite openly and with the support of my line manager inverted by work v break time e.g. I had a break most of the day and worked 15 minutes in the morning 30 mins at lunch and 10 mins in the afternoon - the boss seemed pleased and simply waited until i got so bored i left (it didn't take too long) - so the moral of this story is ????? um i'm not sure - i definately had a point when i started ... sorry

Undercovers (having a bad day)

[Dolly1308]

What happened to the forty hour week?