How strict are you meal breaks?

[postmanzach]

We HAVE to take 20mins before we go out and 20 mins out there.
I don’t want 20 before going out as we start later and finish later here. So take perhaps 5-10 then 30mins out there but being called up on it from the pda data.

Have the union officially confirmed we have to do this?

[Rm121]

Is by local agreement.

[postmanzach]

Is by local agreement.

No LTB or anything official about it online anywhere?
Really pisses me off as not hungry 40 mins after starting work and we being forced to take a break now. Much rather take 30-40 in afternoon. We got 1615-1644 finish times so get pretty hungry by mid afternoon.

[Wullie10]

I always said the people who enforce breaks before you leave the office have never done a delivery. They never have to hold it in as toilets are in the office. Pee in the back of a van , or in the bushes and hope you dont get spotted. Totally clueless idiots. . It may tick boxes on a clip board for them. In the real world where everyone's needs are different it can be agony. The fact that the union agree , enforces my view. They don't even know the job.

[SpacePhoenix]

How many wouldn't actually take their breaks if they weren't forced to?

[Wullie10]

How many wouldn't actually take their breaks if they weren't forced to?

What is a forced break? Do you force people to eat and force them to drink.? Not everyone can eat/drink before a four hour plus walk . So you force them to twiddle their thumbs for 20 minutes not long after they have started their duty. Well what does that achieve? Its a nonsense. If I felt knacked half way round ( which was often ) id listen to my body and have a break. I dont need a Union man and a manager to decide when im tired or hungry and force me. Bloody ridiculous.

[Perseus]

Thankfully our breaks these days are left to the individual when you take it, as long as you do.
There was a ridiculous time not so long ago that people were losing their mind if we all didn’t pile into the canteen at a weird time not long after we started.
Part of me thinks people wanted to make sure others were taking their break so they didn’t finish before them.

[SpacePhoenix]

How many wouldn't actually take their breaks if they weren't forced to?

What is a forced break? Do you force people to eat and force them to drink.? Not everyone can eat/drink before a four hour plus walk . So you force them to twiddle their thumbs for 20 minutes not long after they have started their duty. Well what does that achieve? Its a nonsense. If I felt knacked half way round ( which was often ) id listen to my body and have a break. I dont need a Union man and a manager to decide when im tired or hungry and force me. Bloody ridiculous.

RM are required to give a break of 20mins if a shift is over 6 hours long. By forcing people to take a break before they head out, they are covering themselves by making sure that everyone is taking that 20mins.

[DGH]

If RM were serious about breaks, there would be a 'break' function on the PDA so you could record when you were on your break, disabling other functions except for calls with a minimum of 10 minutes per break period. That way you (and your partner if you're on a shared van) could take your breaks when it suited you and RM could ensure everyone was having their breaks and that those breaks were not being taken at the end of the duty span.

But they won't do that for obvious reasons...

[world class male]

going back a few years, i was p/t, think we got 30mins break then, but they decided to enforce a break for the entire office around 20mins after i started
we had a few coming in a bit late, by the time they'd had a chinwag and got a coffee it was their break

[ted_e_bear]

If RM were serious about breaks, there would be a 'break' function on the PDA so you could record when you were on your break, disabling other functions except for calls with a minimum of 10 minutes per break period. That way you (and your partner if you're on a shared van) could take your breaks when it suited you and RM could ensure everyone was having their breaks and that those breaks were not being taken at the end of the duty span.

But they won't do that for obvious reasons...

That's a good idea I also wondered about that a while ago, a bit like a basic tacho so it's logged why you aren't moving for the appropriate time allowed for.

I have a couple of 10 minute stops, eat my sarnie on the later one, then our siso allows for the further 20 minutes prior to actual duty finish time.

[sindba]

I always said the people who enforce breaks before you leave the office have never done a delivery. They never have to hold it in as toilets are in the office. Pee in the back of a van , or in the bushes and hope you dont get spotted. Totally clueless idiots. . It may tick boxes on a clip board for them. In the real world where everyone's needs are different it can be agony. The fact that the union agree , enforces my view. They don't even know the job.

Huh? You don't use have to use your break time to go to the loo!

[sindba]

I'm knackered and hungry around late lunchtime, around 3/4 through delivery, so need my full break then. My break, my choice.

[clashcityrocker]

My break, my choice.

No it isn't.
Legally your manager can tell you when to take your break.
We have collective bargaining so the timing of your meal relief should be decided by the union (us) and management.
It isn't up to an individual decision.

[TopperGas]

My break, my choice.

No it isn't.
Legally your manager can tell you when to take your break.
We have collective bargaining so the timing of your meal relief should be decided by the union (us) and management.
It isn't up to an individual decision.

It is in my DO?