Breaks at work

Former Member

hi all

i'm in a really shit situation i work in a bar and i'm being expected to do up to 7 or 8 hour shifts at a time with no break. this is quite a long time to be on your feet for, and i get very tired. even my supervisors agree its shit but they wont say anything. my two managers work on the bar with us so are in very close proximity, and i've noticed if you piss them off by being late or arguing with them they will try and make your life hard in really sneaky ways, like making you clean the ashtrays every 2 mins or giving you shitty hours the next week. sounds petty but it does grind you down. so i'm kinda reluctant to say anything but i think i'm gonna have to cos i cant work 8 hours with no food anymore!

does anyone know where i cant find out the legal amount of breaks you can have for 6, 7 and 8 hour shifts, im pretty sure its 20 min for 6 and half an hour for 8 but i want to make sure so i can back up my arguement. also any ideas on how to ask for a break without sounding confrontational and what to say if they say no? i plan to go to citizens advice beureu and write to the brewery who own the pub if they still refuse but thats a last resort cos i don't really want to make the managers hate me cos thats not gonna do me any favours having to work with them on the bar

arrghhhhhhhh

xxx

Former Member

Try http://www.acas.org.uk for more info.

Former Member

It is illegal.

You want to point this out to your supervisors. And just take breaks anyway.

Former Member

This will explain all your legal rights;

http://www.hse.gov.uk/contact/faqs/workingtime.htm

Former Member

i work at tesco and we're made to have a break every 4 hours. even if i didn't want one, i'd get sent on one anyway! so yeh, 7/8 hours is definatley not right.

Former Member

ah thanks for that, i was pretty sure it was 20 mins for 6 hours. i can't just take a break they would go mad! i know its illigal but i need to find a way of telling my manager that without sounding confrontational and making them hate me. they've been doing things this way for a long time so anyone who comes along and tries to change it they don't take too kindly to *sigh*

thanks for the info, at least i have something to back up my arguement

Former Member

Its the Working Time Directive, its law.

Former Member

kangoo wrote:

ah thanks for that, i was pretty sure it was 20 mins for 6 hours. i can't just take a break they would go mad! i know its illigal but i need to find a way of telling my manager that without sounding confrontational and making them hate me. they've been doing things this way for a long time so anyone who comes along and tries to change it they don't take too kindly to *sigh*

thanks for the info, at least i have something to back up my arguement

we get given 30 mins break if we work over 6 hours but we don't actually have to take it all. i;m glad i don't work in a bar!

Former Member

kangoo wrote:

aso anyone who comes along and tries to change it they don't take too kindly to *sigh*

It's the law so tough luck to them.

They sack you and you go to an Enployment Tribunal.

I don't understand why people don't want to take all the breaks they're entitled to. You don't get paid extra if you don't take them. The only advantage is going home 15 mins early, but then that is illegal too, as the WTD states the break cannot be at the beginning or end of shift.

Former Member

i don't always take the break i'm entitled to if i'm doing a 10 hour shift or something. i take the money instead. say i do a 10 hour shift, i can manage perfectly fine with an hour break but i think i'm entitled to 1.5 or is it 2...

and i couldn't go home early 'cause i'd just have to hang around waiting to clock out.

Former Member

Kermit wrote:

They sack you and you go to an Enployment Tribunal.

they wont sack me no, but they will make my life shit by being really obnoxious (sp?) and doing sly things to piss me off

the other day as well they decided i can't have a lift home on a thursday cos 1 of the managers doesnt want to drive me home at that time, so i was kicked out at 25 past 11 to get the last bus home on my own with all the drunks, which ended up not even turning up so i had to walk 2 miles on my own. its stuff like that they'll do. GRRR :mad:

well know i know my rights i can at least try and say something, thx guys

Former Member

Pretty much what everyone else said.

It's illegal no doubt about it.

Just take your breaks regardless - there is nothing they can do to stop you. If they sack you, they've got a very damaging lawsuit on their hands.

Former Member

Kermit wrote:

I don't understand why people don't want to take all the breaks they're entitled to. You don't get paid extra if you don't take them. The only advantage is going home 15 mins early, but then that is illegal too, as the WTD states the break cannot be at the beginning or end of shift.

I used to do 7 hour shifts on a switchboard and didn't take a break. It wasn't hard work and sitting there was no harder than sitting in a staff room for 20 minutes.

Former Member

Thunderstruck wrote:

Just take your breaks regardless - there is nothing they can do to stop you. If they sack you, they've got a very damaging lawsuit on their hands.

Although if you walk off the bar without telling them then that probably wouldn't go down well. You could just say you are going to the loo and come back 20 minutes later having had a sit down and a rest.

Former Member

Might have known my place of employment was handing out minimum breaks
15 minutes for 4 -6 hours, 20 minutes for 6 - 8 hours, and then an hour and a half (hour unpaid) for 8 hours and over. Means that the two days a week I work 7.5 hours I get 20 minutes, which is horrid :grump:

Former Member

Kentish wrote:

I used to do 7 hour shifts on a switchboard and didn't take a break. It wasn't hard work and sitting there was no harder than sitting in a staff room for 20 minutes.

But unless you could go home early there's no incentive IMHO.

I always preferred going and watching the telly.