Looking for information on breaks at work

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Soldato
Joined
20 Oct 2002
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London
I cant really find much more than everyone should be entitled to a 20min break if their shift is over 6hrs long.

I work a 9hr shift, which used to include an hours lunch break (so, 8hrs paid work a day). This dropped to a 30min break and now rumour has it we're not going to get set break times at all (but we will get some sort of a break when appropriate). I work in the film industry so nothing is done by the book at the best of times, but i'd just like some information on the subject as i think the boss has called a meeting for Monday.

The obvious problem with shortening our break times is that our hourly rate has dropped (and they're getting 2.5hrs free work a week :rolleyes: ), but we're on a salary and the contract doesnt specify any working hours.

Thanks for any links. Oh, it's not a desk job either; we're on our feet all day.
 
20min for every 6 hours continuous work, so you will only be entitled to 1 20min break, pretty crap really, but it can depend on the working conditions.
 
LizardKing said:
20min for every 6 hours continuous work, so you will only be entitled to 1 20min break, pretty crap really, but it can depend on the working conditions.
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Really? Like i said, it's not a desk job; we are running around all day! I thought i read that that should be taken into account. Hmn.
 
What do you do exactly?. I knew a runner who worked 11 hour days with no break, and it seemed quite normal.
 
I think 20mins for every 6 continuous hours is about right. However your employer still has a duty of care towards you, and if you can show that a lack of breaks if affecting your health and / or safety they should really offer you more.
 
Film is a funny place to work when it comes to breaks. Offering a set 1 hours break never really works to well.

I know a few producers who feel that the time spent 'doing nothing' often qualifies as a break.

What is it that you do exactly?
 
I'm assuming you are a Runner right?

I started off as a Runner, and it simply is a case of having to put up with the fact that you don't get breaks that you are legally entitled to or what have you. It's like slave labour, but if you don't want to do it, there will be plenty of other people willing to take your place, which is how the industry works.

It doesn't really get any better once you are no longer a runner anyway, although where I work I technically have an hour's break, its very rare that I have that.
 
Yeah i'm a runner. I'm aware that this is totally the norm, however it's rather annoying considering it started off with an hours break and is now just getting progressively worse. 30mins is barely enough time to go queue for a sandwich, get back and eat it!

I guess that the only thing we can argue with is that because we're now doing a 42.5hr week instead of a 40hr week, if you work out our hourly pay it's under the minimum wage. Not that they'll care but hey.

I'd be far more prepared to skip lunch breaks if it was for a more worthwhile cause (i.e. if my job was a bit more meaningful! :p)

Nexus, what do you do now? I'm currently training up to get into the VT room.
 
big_white_dog84 said:
I think 20mins for every 6 continuous hours is about right. However your employer still has a duty of care towards you, and if you can show that a lack of breaks if affecting your health and / or safety they should really offer you more.
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This is the best summing up. The only figure in H&S law is the twenty minutes-every-six-hours one. But the law says that your employer owes you a Duty of Care, and should provide reasonable breaks commensurate with the work that your do. If all you do is type, the statutory breaks could be considered enough, if you are (say) a brick-carrier then you could reasonably ask for more frequent breaks so as not to damage your health. I once visited a paper factory where the drying room teams worked for only thirty minutes between enforced breaks. But then the air temp in that room was 180oF.


M
 
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