must take atleast 20 minutes

[Bahia Feliz]

play with your phone,

I thought you were gonna say something else then!

[oneandonly]

I was unaware of the 20/20 split. Is it down to the manager if I want to take half my break at the end, or is it my right?

[FinishOnTime]

Recently brought in our office is that you can't take ANY of your break at the end. 20 minutes before you go out (but not enforced)and 20/30 minutes while out on delivery, so your finish time is your finish time. The section on this in the 2000 WF agreement has been pointed out to management, but they say its out of date.

Put together with compulsory signing out, an obvious and easy way of cutting overtime and making it harder to cut off, people don't take breaks when out on delivery.

[UnhappyGremlin]

I think RM are using this to their advantage, they want a 20 minute break to ensure that missort runs and the like make it to the office and the mail goes out.
It isn't out of any care for us, just so they can benefit from it.
I however, don't have an issue with taking a break, but insist on taking the full 40 mins, just because I know it annoys the DOM.
And they do have to provide a space to have your break, so get the Area Rep/Area H&S Rep onto it ASAP. They want you to take breaks, then they can provide the facilities for it.

[RTP]

i work in a small office where the canteen , if you can call it that was taken over by the manager for an office long ago.

office history ..We never bother taking breaks until we have finished so we book plus our meal relief . very simple.
we have not had a rp&l revision or anything postive from the last lie down and get shafted deal.

last week one of our men tried to book overtime on a saturday (lapsing obviously)of about 15 minutes , he was told not to , as the phg has been told to assume we have taken 20 minutes of our break during our shift so he isnt actually over his time.

i brought this up on his behalf to the stand in manager that week who then confirmed it was right.

i then brought it up with the actual manager on his return who fed me some s**t about , accidents , european law ect..saying royal mail has to give us a 20 minute break every 6 hours . actually the european minimum is 15 minutes every six hours but that is , to be Made available NOT COMPLUSORY .

i believe custom and practise is for us not to bother with our breaks --personal choice
i think as the most anybody ever books is about 15 minutes , it is just a convieniant thing dreamt up to stop paying overtime and cut budget .
it is law that all work time be payed.

WHAT DO YOU THINK

Dear god. You will all be wondering why you're doing even more lapsing soon.

Use it or lose it, it's as simple as that.

[Himaggen]

If you haven't been provided with any workplace health, safety and welfare facilities, then I would suggest that you have a pretty good case for not having used them. Get in touch with your CWU Branch, and let them take up the discussion on behalf of you and your colleagues.

[chrisj]

How can you argue the case for not taking a break by using some health and safety argument? Taking your break during work is part of looking after your health and wellbeing.

As long as there is a rest area, a lounge or somewhere away from the shop floor then your employer cannot be liable. A break is whatever you want to make and should be taken after working so many hours not all at the end; whereupon it is no longer a break.

Custom and tradition - that makes me laugh...

[Himaggen]

How can you argue the case for not taking a break by using some health and safety argument? Taking your break during work is part of looking after your health and wellbeing.

As long as there is a rest area, a lounge or somewhere away from the shop floor then your employer cannot be liable.

If the Welfare facilities aren't there, and we have been told they aren't, then then the employer cannot force employees to take their entitlement without breaching their responsibilities.
By using this line of argument, your employer who is unwilling to pay you for the twenty minutes, would have to either re-instate the payment for that time or provide the facilities.
Asking the staff in that office to take meal relief without adequate facilities you will in effect achieve very little. By using the Union's Industrial and Health, Safety and Welfare Representatives, the employees will be paid for the time they have actually worked until such time as adequate facilities are provided.

[chrisj]

That scenario still does not justify not taking a break at all!

You can argue for the facility to have a good break or decide to have an extended break out of the office but to say that you don't provide us with a lounge then we will take our break (not a break) at the end of the shift is not what such rules are in place for.

BTW, the poster did not specifically mention a meal break. This is just a first break and he is probably right that a 15 minutes 'out of work area' break will suffice.

On the issue of facilities, canteen and rest areas; the problem is that most employees do not use them effectively, so they are not a priority these days. I am sure if people make a noise about having a rest area, the manager in question will have to move from his temp extended office/rest area.

Some people in the private sector and people that work for Sole traders and cottage industry/companies will bite the hand off their employers for what we take for granted and moan about. Take your break - as said, use it or lose it!

[Himaggen]

Without the minimum welfare requirements, and I'm not talking about a lounge, but somewhere to prepare hot food and get a hot drink, you are being effectively forced to take your break in your vehicle or 'on the job'; (and that is unacceptable).

[Militantdave]

Chrisj , your employee has to allow you to take 20 minutes UNINTERUPTED BREAK every six hours , with some exemptions , it is not complosory for anybody to take them volentarily .. as such if they wish to make you take a break then they must by law provide certain things ..example chairs with backs , a flat , CLEAN surface to eat food from . can anyone sit in their van and guarnteed 20 minutes uninterupted ,no facility means no break