Meal breaks.

[fishtank]

Managers are legally not required to enforce breaks,a break is a right and like most employment rights can be surrendered however...

What a manager cannot do is in any way encourage staff not to take their breaks and I would suggest that allowing staff to go home early could be seen as unlawfully incentivising non compliance in the working time regulations.

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

Lots of posties want to take it at the end, the managers allow it until it doesn't suit their needs hence why very few complain about it happening

[kirstyx]

we have been told we have to take half of our break before we leave the office and the rest out on delivery not at the end but if i have a heavy day i dont take my break during delivery and if i am heading back to the office and its before my time i do make sure it takes a lot longer to get back than normal

[gluteus maximus]

But the managers are breaking the law knowingly, and supporting it when it suits them

i keep on going on about this but:

WHY ARE MANAGERS ALLOWED TO PROMOTE THIS UNLAWFUL PRACTICE THAT IS CONTRARY TO LAW.

They should be putting a stop to the unlawful practice of taking the full 40 minute meal relief at the end of your duty

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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

Ignorance

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

No

I don't think Royal Mail managers receive any formal training beyond the odd 1 day seminar.

They are sometimes given guidance by a long serving manager and some oversight by their own managers senior to them.


The problem is this approach gives them next to no understanding of even the most basic legal requirements and implications, and even worse means they pass on their ignorance to the next generation of managers. Its cascading ignorance.

Even a Cpl in the RAF receives more formal training in leadership, Law and H&S, and they are usually in charge of only 8 - 12 people daily on average, and the course is only 2 weeks, but it provides a basic grounding which can be built on - I don't understand why Royal Mail don't do even this minimalistic approach.

[gluteus maximus]

The more i learn about this company, the more i despair. The only reason i can think that the business has lasted this long under its management structure is that it was state owned. Powers that be just looked the other way. i will put the CWU in that bracket alongside Royal Mail. From what i have noticed so far is a total disregard in anything that involves the welfare of its employees. A better word will be criminal. I am truly speechless

[aiden01]

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...

absolute bollox again cloherty we take our break when we are due to take it not when we are told to

[chrisj]

Actually, Mr Lawman, RM gives 30 minutes break for working 6hr and more and 40 minutes for FT staff on about 8 hours or so. And 20 minutes for less than 6 hours. It is a bit generous but we actually need that sort of break in delivery as it is a physical job and one is constantly on the go - toilet and smoke break included; something most indoor worker can simply take as a relief not an official break.

The is a list of the break allowable somewhere on this site - search.

The problem is that delivery staff wants to eat their cake and have it: it is some sort of historic Spanish practice perhaps given for the physical nature of the job or wanting to give delivery staff the same sort of breaks enjoyed in Mail Centres.

Whichever, nobody can work for almost 8 hours without taking a break some most postie are trying to fraudulently claim 40 minutes at the end of the shift as a break. Some even work out their finish time minus the break and then claim (try to claim) overtime even before their official finish time. So if official finish time is 2.48pm a FT staff will start to claim OT after 2.08pm - wrong!

It is not job and finish anymore but some will never accept that but in a large number offices it is allowed. But RM and some managers are trying to change the culture but like someone said, only when it does not suit them.

[aiden01]

The more i learn about this company, the more i despair. The only reason i can think that the business has lasted this long under its management structure is that it was state owned. Powers that be just looked the other way. i will put the CWU in that bracket alongside Royal Mail. From what i have noticed so far is a total disregard in anything that involves the welfare of its employees. A better word will be criminal. I am truly speechless

why are you so interested in rm.

[chrisj]

The more i learn about this company, the more i despair. The only reason i can think that the business has lasted this long under its management structure is that it was state owned. Powers that be just looked the other way. i will put the CWU in that bracket alongside Royal Mail. From what i have noticed so far is a total disregard in anything that involves the welfare of its employees. A better word will be criminal. I am truly speechless

I hear you, lawyerman. But we cannot entirely blame the employer the workers also has the responsibility for their own welfare. Even a good manager will find it challenging to change some of the culture especially in Delivery - it is a head banger! And as for the Union - complicit and bent!!

As it stands with more and more work and more demands, modernisation and revisions, RM has removed most of the Spanish practices but the workers still continue to give goodwill and are working for nothing in some cases just because they want to finish at a certain time of the day.

[aiden01]

chrisj mc staff are given the same breaks as del staff.

[chrisj]

From what we have heard and read on this site, a FT postie in a MC gets overall about 60 minutes. Typically, your break comes in about 3 parts - 2 mini break and a meal break. I have worked in MC before.

Regardless of the actually time above, what I was driving at is that an indoor worker can take smoke, toilet, water and a break away from duty without those counting towards the official. Once a delivery staff is out of the office then all time is counted as part of the work and break. Even if there is a rain delay or one has to do social work or even taking a slash... This is not a MC bash-up!

To be honest with you, even a toilet break indoors for a double prepper (prepping an associated walk for a part-timer partner)is part of his or her time because the work has to be done. It is not always the same for those on IPS...

[gluteus maximus]

The employee has a responsability for his own health and safety, that is true. But only up the point any other like minded individual can interpret the same risk. The ultimate responsability lies with the employer

[aiden01]

well all I can say is a ft gets 40 mins just like del. yes I agree mc,s used to get extra breaks not anymore no work in your specific workarea you are required to work elsewhere good old days are gone just like delivery hope we agree

[IcanthelpthewayIam]

The employee has a responsability for his own health and safety, that is true. But only up the point any other like minded individual can interpret the same risk. The ultimate responsability lies with the employer

Heres a list of some of the practices that managers in my area and up and down the country get away with on a regular basis:

not enforcing use of mandatory delivery equipement designed to reduce wear on posties bodies
letting posties not take breaks
not stopping post to addresses that would be deemed dangerous if a risk assessment had actually taken place
not checking to see that posties have and use the correct PPE
expecting posties to single handedly lift heavy items upto 30kgs(some ofices deliver parcelforce items)
sending posties out in unroad worthy vans
not having a first aider on duty on every shift
sending posties out in inappropriate weather just so they can clear an office

All these practices go on to allow the postie to finish early and manager to clear office, as long as both happen everyone is happy, when one or the other stop then thats when issues get flagged up