Meal breaks.

[BingBong]

Just a quick question. Are we allowed to split our breaks? So say for example I was due a 30 minute break would I be allowed to split it 15 minutes at the start and 15 minutes at the end? It just seems that in our office anyway the rule changes from week to week!

Thanks.

[Chelseablue]

A colleague of mines last week got told to go back in the office and sit thru his whole 40 min meal relief before he got home . What's the official line on this ?...He's now left the r mail as was disgusted by the way things r going.

[demon]

we split them 50/50 20 mins early and 20 off end but just been told we have to take break on a saturday when we never have before a copy of the meal break agreement would help as not a lot of people want to take it on a saturday

[loverman shabba]

with the new agreement we're supposed to take 20 (full time) before we go out on delivery. never happens though

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

we split them 50/50 20 mins early and 20 off end but just been told we have to take break on a saturday when we never have before a copy of the meal break agreement would help as not a lot of people want to take it on a saturday

Heres the most recent agreement, any changes need to be agreed to by the office

http://www.royalmailchat.co.uk/communit ... &mode=view" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

A colleague of mines last week got told to go back in the office and sit thru his whole 40 min meal relief before he got home . What's the official line on this ?...He's now left the r mail as was disgusted by the way things r going.

thats illegal, dom can tell you when to take break(in accordance with current agreements) but at no time can he tell you where to take it, he cant make you sit in the office for 40 minutes all he can do is tell you when those 40 minutes of break will be, though if you were taking break at end of shift(which you shouldnt anyway as at least 20 minutes of that should be scheduled to be somewhere in the middle of your shift) you could take it away from the office but he could make you come back to office at the end of the 40 minutes to sign out, thus stopping the intention of people getting away 40 minutes early

[gluteus maximus]

Being unfamiliar with Royal Mail proceedure and rest breaks, i apologise if i am in error.

The statutory requirement for a full time member of staff doing over 6 hours is 20 minutes.
Royal Mail pay 40 minutes. I take it the extra 20 minutes is through some sort of collective agreement.

The statutory requirement dictates that you cannot take your break at the start or end of your duty, that being the statutory minimum of 20 minutes. So on that basis the manager can only make you take 20 minutes at the end of your day in excess of the 20 minutes statutory minimum, not the full 40. The other 20 minutes has to be taken i would think someware in the middle of your duty as that is contractual, not statutory.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Being unfamiliar with Royal Mail proceedure and rest breaks, i apologise if i am in error.

The statutory requirement for a full time member of staff doing over 6 hours is 20 minutes.
Royal Mail pay 40 minutes. I take it the extra 20 minutes is through some sort of collective agreement.

The statutory requirement dictates that you cannot take your break at the start or end of your duty, that being the statutory minimum of 20 minutes. So on that basis the manager can only make you take 20 minutes at the end of your day in excess of the 20 minutes statutory minimum, not the full 40. The other 20 minutes has to be taken i would think someware in the middle of your duty as that is contractual, not statutory.

Within Royal Mail a lot of offices operate a policy where by staff members can take their full break at the end of their shift, (yes that's not compliant with working time regs or even Royal Mail and cwu own national agreement but it does happen) what is happening is the delivery office manager uses this to stop people who are "troublesome" from going home early so in fact correctly applying the rules but in a discriminatory fashion and without local agreement

[gluteus maximus]

And unlawful, why is the business allowing this?.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

And unlawful, why is the business allowing this?.

The business doesn't allow it, nobody really complains about it as it's the workers who want there breaks at end of shift

[cloherty1976]

I suppose that's were people in the mail centres have an advantage over delivery as they take there meal reliefs when they are told. As for network and professional drivers we have to take meal reliefs as it's the law. On delivery I suppose it's down to the individual if maybe they want to finish early they get the job done before taking a break. Your never please everyone what ever you do...

[gluteus maximus]

And unlawful, why is the business allowing this?.

The business doesn't allow it, nobody really complains about it as it's the workers who want there breaks at end of shift

Sorry if i seem to be missing something.

Why then are the managers allowing this practice knowing it to be unlawful and contrary to statutory legislation,

Do Royal Mail managers think they are above the law of the land?

[ebbzie]

with the new agreement we're supposed to take 20 (full time) before we go out on delivery. never happens though

Why dont you take it?

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

And unlawful, why is the business allowing this?.

The business doesn't allow it, nobody really complains about it as it's the workers who want there breaks at end of shift

Sorry if i seem to be missing something.

Why then are the managers allowing this practice knowing it to be unlawful and contrary to statutory legislation,

Do Royal Mail managers think they are above the law of the land?

the practice has been in force for years, basically we used to have job and finish, so if you rushed round and got your shift done you could go home (or to the second job which a lot had) so hence on a 8 hour day getting round and taking your break at end meant you only needed to do around 6 hours or less sometime(sometimes a lot less) this practice continued even when working time regs came into force and has never really been stopped except when a manager wants to stop it to use as a stick to bully members, if it was been done uniformly and fairly across the board then it would be fine but they generally use the rule against the people who are not willing to work over their time, ie you didnt do over time one thursday ill make you take your break before going home every saturday

Also its not statutaory legislation that a break MUST NOT be taken at start/end of shift just that it must not be scheduled to start/finish then ie as long as manager says take it in the middle and then turns a blind eye to it being taken when the employee wants ie at the end, then no law has actually been broken, its a statutory right to have the break its not a statutory "must take" break

[gluteus maximus]

The break is taken in one go somewhere in the middle of the day (not at the beginning or end) (regulations)

That break in one go will be the 20 minutes statutory if working over 6 hours.

So the maximum at the end of the duty will be the other 20 minutes contractual allowance

i agree on the statutory right not to take a break

THE ISSUE I HAVE IS TAKING THE FULL 40 MINUTES MEAL RELIEF OFF THE END OF THE 8 HOUR DUTY