What are the rules re:the 20min meal break

[ScrumpyJ]

Can anyone tell me where I can find details of when and where we have to have our 20 min meal break in the morning. In our office we are all expeceted to ( with some exceptions) stop at the same time and go for our break. I've have heard some offices get staff to sign to say they will have a break and it's left to that person to ensure they have a break, how is this monitored ? what are the laws and health & safety guide from CWU and Royal Mail. Help me I am getting loads of grief from the floor.

[DirtyHarry]

I assume you're the office rep? ............ If so.....................

Call a meeting of the members in your office, vote on a decision to all going for their meal relief at, say, 08.00am. Inform your DIM of this, then take
it from there.

Try to get everyone to agree to a set time for meal relief.

And, it's 40 mins in total, some offices can take the 40 mins at once, some take 20 mins before going out, and 20mins after coming back. Go for the
40mins in one go.

Good luck, mate.

[Geordie]

a) Providing meal break/working time regulation rules are observed, employees will have the flexibility to plan the timing and location of their meal breaks. This flexibility also extends to the ability to have a refreshment break prior going out on delivery as long as it does not compromise the office workplan. Where deliveries are completed within the agreed office workplan then employees will be allowed to pouch off without returning to the office.

That paragrapgh is from the SDD agreement, and the full version is on the CWU homepage.

I'm sure there's something else on breaks, maybe in the Way Forward agreement (again available on the CWU site)

[the fattun]

ppl in our office dont take a break they just run around to get finished as early as they can but i am sure that as long as your missorts are all done and that you are not causing any delay to your pouches being dropped off you can take your break when ever convenient ..

[POSTMAN]

You should all have a break at the same time,what's all this worrying about delaying pouches and doing the miss-sorts crap(Don't take offence)
Does ANY f***ing office in the country work together ffs.
At my place,there's about 30 of us,bar 2 phg's,3 strike breakers and the odd drive,we all go together.
If we're really late,we haven't even thrown up let alone do the miss-sorts.

[Wild Cat]

ppl in our office dont take a break they just run around to get finished as early as they can but i am sure that as long as your missorts are all done and that you are not causing any delay to your pouches being dropped off you can take your break when ever convenient ..

Same in our office they run around as fast as they can and on busy days you don't get a break at all.

The vans leave at 8.00 sharp so unless you come in early or use your car you haven't got a hope of a break.

[srfkdr]

This has all been said before, but bearing in mind all of the proposed changes that RM intend to impose on us without Union approval, we MUST all now insist on taking our 40 mins meal relief before going out on delivery. If this proves inconvenient to RM then they can negogtiate the reduction of our 40 hour week for no loss of pay.

Most people, and I was one of them, take their 40 mins at the end of their duty, but I think this has to stop immediately because it sends the wrong message to RM. We are all in too much of a hurry to get home and the job and finish carrot has now turned poisonous. Since we are banned from holding union meetings during working hours because we are then accused of being on strike and have pay deducted, then why not use our 40 minutes to get updated?

We need to forget about cutting corners to make time because RM intend to totally wreck our working conditions and rewrite our contacts of employment with full Government backing. Do we want to make it easy for them by starting before duty time, carrying overweight bags, using our cars, etc? Why not just have a less stressful day by working at a normal pace and doing the job properly>

[cruisey]

everyone should take their breaks. The job and finish element of the job has come back to bite us on the arse. The problem comes when the later starts land and we work to new 318's. In my current 318, i take 20 mins break between 8.40 and 9am with the other 20mins between 1310 and 1330.(or at the end of delivery if earlier) No one knows what's going in to the new SOP's, even the DIM's.

[Bloke7]

If you don't take your break, they'll use that as a budget saving as well. Relax! The job is meant to be done in your time; rushing around? What's the point? You don't get any better thought of, in fact it's more than likely you'll be taken advantage of. So don't start complaining when you do!

Take your breaks, work together instead of getting bitter over who's doing what. Let's save this job instead of helping to destroy it!

[dvbuk55]

With the advent of SDD there should have been a work plan devised for its introduction where the CWU Rep and the workforce and the Managers all had input as to when breaks were taken and what the split would be - either 20/20 or 40 it of course has never been adhered to until now - when the work plan has been imposed in order for management to flex its puny muscle.

[the fattun]

i hear what you are all saying but the one thing about this job is its flexibility (for ourselves not management ) so in our office ppl take a break when they want and none of them do ,they would rather come in a 0400 even though they dont start till 0430 work none stop rusning like idiots and finish for 1030 -1100. you try telling them to take a break before they go out they just dont see whats coming.. they would rather work 30hrs a week and get paid for 40hrs.
they are nailing their own coffin.
they will have a shock when job and finish goes, it will be back to the good old days when you see all the post bikes outside cafes and pubs...aaaaaaaaaaah i remeber those days well.....

[dvbuk55]

i hear what you are all saying but the one thing about this job is its flexibility (for ourselves not management ) so in our office ppl take a break when they want and none of them do ,they would rather come in a 0400 even though they dont start till 0430 work none stop rusning like idiots and finish for 1030 -1100. you try telling them to take a break before they go out they just dont see whats coming.. they would rather work 30hrs a week and get paid for 40hrs.
they are nailing their own coffin.
they will have a shock when job and finish goes, it will be back to the good old days when you see all the post bikes outside cafes and pubs...aaaaaaaaaaah i remeber those days well.....

How big is your office. Hows your DOM dealing with his instruction to adhere to the workplan? What is your new start time?

[the fattun]

our office has about 100 staff, our manager is a dictator who would do all he could if it were not for a good union in the office our start times have only been put forward 30 mins to 0500 but this will be under review in the next 6 weeks. in other words just keep on changing it while they are using this executive bullshit...

[dvbuk55]

our office has about 100 staff, our manager is a dictator who would do all he could if it were not for a good union in the office our start times have only been put forward 30 mins to 0500 but this will be under review in the next 6 weeks. in other words just keep on changing it while they are using this executive bullshit...

What sort of review? Our start times have all been moved up 1.5 hours i.e. 3.30 to 5, 5 to 6.30, 6.40 to 8.10. The reason being given we are all aware of soooo I would be interested to see how long your 5 am lasts and if it does it could be the basis for a rethink.

I know I am assuming the later starts will be in on the 8th unless the CWU can pull a rabbit out of the hat and .........well there is no Santa or Tooth Fairy .