Yep. I do not take a break and purely work my contracted 6 hours. If i wanted to take a break (20 minutes) i would clock out 20 minutes later.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
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Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
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Barnacle
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
So they haven’t told you that you have to take a break?Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:52Yep. I do not take a break and purely work my contracted 6 hours. If i wanted to take a break (20 minutes) i would clock out 20 minutes later.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
’You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.’
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
“Entitled" to a break or have a “right" to a break is uk law. As it is unpaid the company cannot force you to take one.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:46Ours have been told that they can’t NOT take the break because they gave to take a break by law.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
No and i would tell them that its up to me.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:53So they haven’t told you that you have to take a break?Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:52Yep. I do not take a break and purely work my contracted 6 hours. If i wanted to take a break (20 minutes) i would clock out 20 minutes later.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
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Barnacle
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
So if they choose not to take a break, that’s it? They can’t be made to come in early?Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:55“Entitled" to a break or have a “right" to a break is uk law. As it is unpaid the company cannot force you to take one.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:46Ours have been told that they can’t NOT take the break because they gave to take a break by law.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
’You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.’
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Not if you are on a 6 hour or less contract. The law is quite clear that working ‘more’ than 6 hours then your company can force you to take a break for health and safety reasons… but if thats the case then it must be in the middle of your shift and not at the beginning or end of your shift.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 21:01So if they choose not to take a break, that’s it? They can’t be made to come in early?Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:55“Entitled" to a break or have a “right" to a break is uk law. As it is unpaid the company cannot force you to take one.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:46Ours have been told that they can’t NOT take the break because they gave to take a break by law.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
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Barnacle
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Oh that’s where they’ve got them at ours then - they’re doing a 7 hour shift.Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 21:12Not if you are on a 6 hour or less contract. The law is quite clear that working ‘more’ than 6 hours then your company can force you to take a break for health and safety reasons… but if thats the case then it must be in the middle of your shift and not at the beginning or end of your shift.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 21:01So if they choose not to take a break, that’s it? They can’t be made to come in early?Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:55“Entitled" to a break or have a “right" to a break is uk law. As it is unpaid the company cannot force you to take one.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:46Ours have been told that they can’t NOT take the break because they gave to take a break by law.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
’You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.’
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TopperGas
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
All our new contacts were told they must take their break or they'd be docked 20 mins pay..Patmanposts wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:55“Entitled" to a break or have a “right" to a break is uk law. As it is unpaid the company cannot force you to take one.Barnacle wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:46Ours have been told that they can’t NOT take the break because they gave to take a break by law.Pidleypoo wrote: ↑31 Jul 2025, 20:34They are entitled to an unpaid 20 minute break but they can’t be forced to take one.
They could work their 6 hour shift and not take one.
This has been answered on another thread ( the legal part of it )
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Smoothbackground
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Barnacle
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Would it have killed them to produce a national standard practice on this, instead of allowing managers to make it up as they go along? 



’You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.’
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Exactly this.
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Patmanposts
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Yep. i Guess having grey areas only benefits the company. The more national agreements between a union and HR the better, anything left to an opinion of a manager is bad for employees.
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TopperGas
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
Pretty certain they are all now doing has told, particularly as our union rep attended the meeting.
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Barnacle
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
They can’t dock pay. Yet.TopperGas wrote: ↑01 Aug 2025, 18:55Pretty certain they are all now doing has told, particularly as our union rep attended the meeting.
’You can't just ask customers what they want and then try to give that to them. By the time you get it built, they'll want something new.’
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menditsa
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Re: Martin Walsh DGSP:A message to new entrants in Royal Mail Group
They enforced it at my DO for us on 6 hour contracts to take a 30 min break for ages.
Now we just do our 6 hours not 6 hours 30 mins.