taking paid breaks

Shaders · Post by **Shaders** » 22 Dec 2016, 16:03

Seeing as our breaks are paid do we HAVE to take them either in the office or van? In other words can management stop you taking them off site?

Thanks.

Post by **holly123** » 22 Dec 2016, 16:20

You should have 20mins before bagging up / leaving office, then 20mins while out or end of duty

deltaforce · Post by **deltaforce** » 22 Dec 2016, 16:38

Or 40 mins before you go out as I've always done. Sitting in a van is no place to have meal relief in my opinion

weary_posty · Post by **weary_posty** » 22 Dec 2016, 16:46

Nice cuppa while everyone queues up at the locker

And again after my last letter before heading back to the office.

Some muppets actually don't take them!

DiamondSmiles · Post by **DiamondSmiles** » 22 Dec 2016, 16:49

My understanding is they can tell you WHEN to have your breaks but can't tell you WHERE to take them.

crazyshrew · Post by **crazyshrew** » 22 Dec 2016, 17:35

https://www.gov.uk/rest-breaks-work/taking-breaks
Employers can say when employees take rest breaks during work time as long as:

the break is taken in one go (somewhere in the middle of the day (not at the beginning or end)
**this refers to the statutory 20-minute break the law allows all workers working a 6hr+ shift, our remaining contractual entitlement of 20 mins can be taken anywhere in the day, to be agreed with management**
workers are allowed to spend it away from their desk or workstation (ie away from where they actually work)
It doesn’t count as a rest break if an employer says an employee should go back to work before their break is finished.

Unless a worker’s employment contract says so, they don’t have the right to:

take smoking breaks
get paid for rest breaks

Pompey Boy · Post by **Pompey Boy** » 22 Dec 2016, 17:39

What are breaks? We don't get them at Colditz

Bahia Feliz · Post by **Bahia Feliz** » 22 Dec 2016, 21:08

I have 30 mins at Mrs Miggins house halfway round my delivery.Nice cuppa and a warm up away from my 'workstation'!

South_London_Postie · Post by **South_London_Postie** » 22 Dec 2016, 23:21

Talking of paid breaks, how are you meant to take your 30/40 minutes while out on HCT duties ? If you are not allowed to leave the trolley for more than 10 minutes. Never understood this one.

Surely keeping an eye on the trolley would mean you are not on break and still working.

Post by **woopesh** » 23 Dec 2016, 00:08

LOL, that is pushing it to some extreme. Just park it outside a coffee shop, sit facing the window. In a 30 min break you will have to look at it twice. Hardly buckets full of stress. Sometimes I use the HCT as a table and eat sandwiches off it.

South_London_Postie · Post by **South_London_Postie** » 23 Dec 2016, 00:24

No it's not, what about if I need to pick my kids up and drop them home during my break. Which I am entitled to do. I can't Do both at once! have my break and keep an eye on the trolley. It's a serious question where loads of scenarios can make it relevant.

Postie45 · Post by **Postie45** » 23 Dec 2016, 06:05

South_London_Postie wrote:No it's not, what about if I need to pick my kids up and drop them home during my break. Which I am entitled to do. I can't Do both at once! have my break and keep an eye on the trolley. It's a serious question where loads of scenarios can make it relevant.

youre probably justified into returning to the office for a break, id speak to a union rep about it

Post by **woopesh** » 23 Dec 2016, 08:28

South_London_Postie wrote:No it's not, what about if I need to pick my kids up and drop them home during my break. Which I am entitled to do. I can't Do both at once! have my break and keep an eye on the trolley. It's a serious question where loads of scenarios can make it relevant.

Ah I see now. Yes, that is a hard one.

fishtank · Post by **fishtank** » 23 Dec 2016, 10:47

South_London_Postie wrote:Talking of paid breaks, how are you meant to take your 30/40 minutes while out on HCT duties ? If you are not allowed to leave the trolley for more than 10 minutes. Never understood this one.

Surely keeping an eye on the trolley would mean you are not on break and still working.

The answer you're likely to receive is take your break before leaving for delivery. Of course that will depend on your contracted hours and the length of your delivery. If you were a part-timer on a 5 hour day with a 4 hr delivery you could make an argument, if you're full-time then you should be having at least 20 minutes before leaving the office, all of these things should have been discussed and resolved during your delivery methods revision, have you spoken to your rep?

cpsteve · Post by **cpsteve** » 23 Dec 2016, 18:39

South_London_Postie wrote:No it's not, what about if I need to pick my kids up and drop them home during my break. Which I am entitled to do. I can't Do both at once! have my break and keep an eye on the trolley. It's a serious question where loads of scenarios can make it relevant.

You should not expect enough time to pick up kids in your break to many variables.