tea breaks

[thefox]

me and some of the lads had a bit of a disagreement yesterday about tea breaks,can the manager make people take their tea breaks,some say they can (if they wanted to)because of health and safety,others say they cant force people to take their break if they dont want to can anyone settle for us.

[SexyLegs]

It's simple, when the smokers go out for a fag, and at our place they 3 or 4 at least a morning!!! go for a cup of tea, can't argue can they

[celerycelery]

Do you mean your 40 mins meal relief that you get? If so then yeah they can tell you when to take it as you are paid for meal relief.

[TrueBlueTerrier]

me and some of the lads had a bit of a disagreement yesterday about tea breaks,can the manager make people take their tea breaks,some say they can (if they wanted to)because of health and safety,others say they cant force people to take their break if they dont want to can anyone settle for us.

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Employment/ ... G_10029451" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Rest breaks - a break during your working day

As an adult worker (over 18), you will normally have the right to a 20 minute rest break if you are expected to work 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

[thefox]

cheers,theres only about 6 of us take our break every day and it annoys some of the lads that people go out early,doesnt bother me personally its up to them at the end of the day but these guys want the gaffer to force the others to take their break.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

employer can only dictate when it must be taken acording to the working time regulations, they cant actually make you take it.........

BUT they would be quite within their right to insist that those who dont to work/stay till the end of their shift

[SexyLegs]

employer can only dictate when it must be taken acording to the working time regulations, they cant actually make you take it.........

BUT they would be quite within their right to insist that those who dont to work/stay till the end of their shift

Re: above, as long as they haven't let anyone else go home, as soon as one is let go everyone else is entitled to go also!!!

[maisymoo04]

our manager gives us a grace break (dont ask) 20 mins then its back on the sortin at 740 and the 40 min still a nob tho

[BT2010]

ah, grace breaks....

there is something on here about them..

10 mins for a drink before leaving the office, if there is not enough time they must allow you at least a few mins for a drink.

additional to your breaks too

[BT2010]

Grace Breaks

When work permits a grace break of 10 minutes, over and above the standard entitlements, should be allowed on all indoor and outdoor jobs. In no circumstances should this be scheduled. Where it is not possible to provide a Grace Break before going out on first delivery the employee should be given the chance to have a cup of tea before leaving the office.

great news for tea drinkers

[fishtank]

Re: above, as long as they haven't let anyone else go home, as soon as one is let go everyone else is entitled to go also!!!

What rule/agreement/law would that be...?
Sure you could maybe raise a grievance,stamp your feet a bit,maybe try to take Royal Mail to an ET for letting somebody else go home early and not little you...but they would most likely throw it out as being a pointless waste of time.
This isn't the playground Sexylegs,it's big boys stuff and your advice will just get decent members into trouble.
You cannot claim unfair treatment when all you are being asked is to fulfil your contract because you are suffering no harm or detriment,it doesn't matter what the guy next to you does or gets away with or when he goes home.

[thefox]

thanks lads.

[SexyLegs]

Re: above, as long as they haven't let anyone else go home, as soon as one is let go everyone else is entitled to go also!!!

What rule/agreement/law would that be...?
Sure you could maybe raise a grievance,stamp your feet a bit,maybe try to take Royal Mail to an ET for letting somebody else go home early and not little you...but they would most likely throw it out as being a pointless waste of time.
This isn't the playground Sexylegs,it's big boys stuff and your advice will just get decent members into trouble.
You cannot claim unfair treatment when all you are being asked is to fulfil your contract because you are suffering no harm or detriment,it doesn't matter what the guy next to you does or gets away with or when he goes home.

Better have a word with our Area Rep then Fishtank, cos he argued that very fact and management agreed, as soon as one goes, all go!

Scenario: 5 or 6 Town walk posties finish at 11.30am, they go in the office and says I've finished, managers say nowt to do boys, get yourself off home, 5 mins later managers get a call saying a van is needed somewhere else so they need to take one over, so you think it's fair that after they've let x number go the next postie back is expected to go wherever to drop a van off, which takes about an hour at our place?

I'm glad I don't work with you fishtank, get it fair or don't comment!!!

Don't you just love know alls!

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Re: above, as long as they haven't let anyone else go home, as soon as one is let go everyone else is entitled to go also!!!

What rule/agreement/law would that be...?
Sure you could maybe raise a grievance,stamp your feet a bit,maybe try to take Royal Mail to an ET for letting somebody else go home early and not little you...but they would most likely throw it out as being a pointless waste of time.
This isn't the playground Sexylegs,it's big boys stuff and your advice will just get decent members into trouble.
You cannot claim unfair treatment when all you are being asked is to fulfil your contract because you are suffering no harm or detriment,it doesn't matter what the guy next to you does or gets away with or when he goes home.

Better have a word with our Area Rep then Fishtank, cos he argued that very fact and management agreed, as soon as one goes, all go!

Scenario: 5 or 6 Town walk posties finish at 11.30am, they go in the office and says I've finished, managers say nowt to do boys, get yourself off home, 5 mins later managers get a call saying a van is needed somewhere else so they need to take one over, so you think it's fair that after they've let x number go the next postie back is expected to go wherever to drop a van off, which takes about an hour at our place?

I'm glad I don't work with you fishtank, get it fair or don't comment!!!

Don't you just love know alls!

Perhaps, but fishtank aint one, and I hate people who think their world is the be all and end all. Okay you got a good deal,or rather your rep did. But try that scenario on at 90% of the units in the UK and Postie 7 would be suspended for failing to follow a reasonable request and without the back up of "Custom and Practice" you have, his future could be short.

There in lies the problem, any advice you give should be a guide based on National agreements not local. If a Postie is suspended in Portsmouth the C&P of a unit in Forres is not going to be much use is it.

[woofwoof]

from the way forard

Breaks at the beginning or end of attendance

Where an attendance is provided with more than one break, the second break may be scheduled at the beginning or end, in which case attendance is not required solely for booking on or off. A single break should not be scheduled at the beginning or end of the attendance.



Grace Breaks

When work permits a grace break of 10 minutes, over and above the standard entitlements, should be allowed on all indoor and outdoor jobs. In no circumstances should this be scheduled. Where it is not possible to provide a grace break before going out on first delivery the employee should be given the chance to have cup of tea before leaving the office.

Meal Brakes for non-standard, as part-time and extended attendances

Part-time jobs, and full-time jobs with non-standard attendance patterns, will attract meal breaks for each daily attendance as followed, reflecting a generally pro-rata entitlement to the national weekly standard:

Attendance length total breaks probable pattern

Less than 2 hours 30 minutes none (a 10 min grace break should be provided if work permits)
2 hours 30 to 3 hours 10 mins 10
3 hours 1 to 3 hours 30 15 mins 15
3 hours 31 to 4 hours 59 20 mins 20
5 hours to 7 hours 30 mins 30
7 hours 1 to 8 hours 59 40 mins 40 or 20 + 20
9 hours to 10 hours 59 50 mins 30 + 20
11 hours to 12 hours 59 60 mins 40 + 20 or 30 + 30
13 hours or longer 70 mins 40 + 30

Pending completion of the discussions intended to conform with the requirements of the Working Time Regulations, any exceptional attendances of 15 hours or longer will attract an entitlement of 80 minutes.

The actual pattern of breaks within these rules will be agreed locally.