meal breaks

[stupidboy]

just a quick question. after a strike day our dom has told us we will all work to our time and then bring any undelivered mail back which is fine. he has however told us he will make us take full meal break before we go out on delivery,can he do this as i thought he can still only make us take half before going out on delivery

[harry09]

yeah they can i think its called "as directed"... just do what they want

[Ahebban]

it might be in the Way Forward Agreement or SDD Agreement, but i do remember that you cannot take the full break at either the beginning or end of your attendance time. It is generally accepted that up to half of your break can be taken prior to going out on delivery, with the remainder taken whilst out on delivery. On an 8-hour day that would amount to a 40-minute meal break in total.

Ask your DOM to provide written evidence from a national or local agreement.

[baldrick]

The Way Forward only says that the probable pattern will be 40 mins or 20+20.
The actual pattern of breaks within these rules will be agreed locally.

[gerardy]

I think legally they cannot make you take your full break if it is within the first 2 hours of work

[Stormproof]

I think legally they cannot make you take your full break if it is within the first 2 hours of work

When I worked the late shift in callers I used to have to take all my meal relief at the start of the shift, typical RM moving the goalposts to suit themselves.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

I think legally they cannot make you take your full break if it is within the first 2 hours of work

When I worked the late shift in callers I used to have to take all my meal relief at the start of the shift, typical RM moving the goalposts to suit themselves.

From the Direct gov website, they dont have to wait until 2 hours is up, just as long as it is not the start or end of your day, unfortuantely somewhere is a vague word and can mean what ever they want it to, it has not been defined

Rest breaks - a break during your working day

If you are an adult worker (that is, over 18), you will normally have the right to a 20 minute rest break if you are expected to work for more than six hours at a stretch.

A lunch or coffee break can count as your rest break. Additional breaks might be given by your contract of employment. There is no statutory right to 'smoking breaks'.

The requirements are:


the break must be in one block

it cannot be taken off one end of the working day - it must be somewhere in the middle

you are allowed to spend it away from the place on your employer's premises where you work

your employer can say when the break must be taken, as long as it meets these conditions

[coxie]

you have to have atleast 20mins meal break during your duty, by law we are only entitled to 20mins but royal mail give us 40. But you have to take atleast 20 during your shift and not at the end, you can take it anywhere you like you can go to a cafe and dont have to stay in the office. But its a health and safety issue too , if you dont have 1 and have an accident you are not covered/ Do as he says and take your meal break which you should be doing anyway and dont help them out by not having it, if you dont have it your finish time wont be reduced so you are just giving them time for nothing.