Rest break entitlement and sign-in sheets

[kd]

Do you get a rest break on 4hr shifts at all? Our sheets say no rest break on 4hr shifts. On 5hr shift our sign-in sheets inform us about 15 min break. On 8 hr shift it says 30 min rest break. Is it the same in your mail centre? Do the managers give you longer breaks than sheets say?

[tabact]

It varies. At my mail centre there is no official break up to 4.25 hours and you get paid in full but most of the managers give you a 10/15 minute tea break unless it's really busy. If you work 4.5 hours or longer they stop 30 minutes from your hours so you take a 30 minute break. Just make sure you take a break if they are going to put it on your time sheet as they are unpaid. I used to get managers saying take a 20 minute break and had to make it clear that I'd be stopped 30 minutes so that was how long I was taking for the break.

[pleb]

4 hour shift=no break
5 or 6 hours=15 mins break
7 or 8 hours=30 mins, usually split into two lots of 15 mins
10 hours=45 mins, hopefully split into 3 times 15 mins

[rogersh]

I have copy & pasted this by POSTMAN. Which I believe is valid for AWR qualified who should be treated the same as R.M. employees.

Re: meal l relief
by POSTMAN » Sun Sep 06, 2015 11:41 pm
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

[kd]

1). The problem is that signing-in sheets (provided by Angard Staffing) tell you one thing and RM managers tell you something else. In my mail centre:

a). 4 hr shift - sheet says: 0 min break, managers: go for 20 min
b). 5 or 6 hr shift - sheet: 15 min break, managers: go for 30 min (or sometimes: "go for 20 min")
c). 7 or 8 hr shift - sheet: 30 min break, managers: go for 40 min + 20 min (60 min in total)

2). Angard pays for what is on the sheet, not deducting those extra min that RM managers give us. Angard also claims that all our breaks are unpaid. Something fishy is going on here... What the dickens?

3). What [rogersh] posted is from "The Way Forward" agreement between RM and CWU (from year 2000). It is a national agreement. You cannot get less rest breaks than what it says (you can get more in some centres, any extras are locally agreed with CWU). You have to be AWR qualified to have right to those breaks.

4). [tabact] and [pleb]: If you are AWR qualified and receive less than what [rogersh] posted, then RM and Angard are breaching your rights. There is no way you should not be given at least 20 min break on a 4 hr shift or 30 min on a 5, 6 or 7 hr shift.

5). That right is given to agency workers in paragraph 6(1)(e) of "The Agency Workers Regulations 2010".

[Lockardian]

I have copy & pasted this by POSTMAN. Which I believe is valid for AWR qualified who should be treated the same as R.M. employees.

Re: meal l relief
by POSTMAN » Sun Sep 06, 2015 11:41 pm
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

According to an email sent by Angard to Royal Mail management, it’s something like:

Up to 4hrs 59mins - no break
5hrs to 6hrs 59mins - 15 min break
7hrs to 8hrs 59mins - 30 min break
9hrs to 11hrs 59mins - 45 min break
12hrs.... 1 hour break

This may not be exactly right as I only briefly sighted the email. But it definitely said 30 mins for an 8-hour nightshift which is now being enforced. Also, anyone working less than seven hours only gets 15 mins.

Line managers at some mail centres appear to give some leeway but where I work these are the new arrangements. We watch our RM colleagues disappear for an hour or so while we are expected back on the floor after 30 mins.

[NW11851]

At Gatwick RMC a4-hour shift gets 30 minutes pay deducted for ‘break’.

[Lockardian]

At Gatwick RMC a4-hour shift gets 49 minutes pay deducted for ‘break’.

49 minutes deducted from a four hour shift??

[NW11851]

Sorry. Late night typo after a shift. 30!

[tabact]

NW11851 you joined the union didn't you? Have you ever raised unpaid breaks and getting less breaks than RM staff with a union rep.

[xUzi786]

On my shift 2pm-12am I take a 40min break at 5.20pm then another 20min break at 9.50pm.

[Lockardian]

Sorry. Late night typo after a shift. 30!

Yet that doesn’t correspond with Angard’s “break entitlement” rules!! They seem to make it up as they go along!!