Working Rights?

[PhillyDee]

Quick overview of the Working Time Directive:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/employment-legislation/working-time-regs/

The basic rights and protections that the Regulations provide are:

a limit of an average of 48 hours a week which a worker can be required to work (though workers can choose to work more if they want to).
a limit of an average of 8 hours work in 24 which nightworkers can be required to work.
a right for night workers to receive free health assessments.
a right to 11 hours rest a day.
a right to a day off each week.
a right to an in-work rest break if the working day is longer than 6 hours.
a right to 4 weeks paid leave per year.

EDIT:
And the specifics:
http://www.berr.gov.uk/whatwedo/employment/employment-legislation/employment-guidance/page28979.html

If a worker is required to work for more than six hours at a stretch, he or she is entitled to a rest break of 20 minutes.

The break should be taken during the six-hour period and not at the beginning or end of it. The exact time the breaks are taken is up to the employer to decide.

Employers must make sure that workers can take their rest.

Mobile workers are excluded from the usual rest break entitlements under the Working Time Regulations. Instead, these workers are entitled to 'adequate rest'.

'Adequate rest' means that workers have regular rest periods. These should be sufficiently long and continuous to ensure that fatigue or other irregular working patterns do not cause workers to injure themselves, fellow workers or others, and that they do not damage their health, either in the short term or in the longer term.

For information on when the limits may not apply see Section 8.

 

[bushmins]

Yup, the law is 20 minutes per 6 hours.

But most companys have their own policy especially if you do manual labour or safety critical stuff.

 

[Camalot]

What, so if i only do 6hrs in one day i get 20mins and not the 15 ive been told?

 

[Cr0fty]

If you work an 8 hour shift and don't get a break, what law is that breaking?
And what could be done about it.

cheers

At work for me - 4 hrs = 30min break

8 + = 1 hr of breaktime

 

[gareth.e]

I work 9 hours at a time sometimes and you don't here me complaining!


However my job is relaxed and I usually spend about 2 of them hours just eating

 

[kieranv]

I cant imagine being ain a job where im not allowed to go to the toilet when i want haha.

if i want the toilet...i go
If i want a drink...i get one
if i want a biscuit...i get one

Most of the time i'll go for my lunch when i want
Having said that there will always be some days where i have a lot to get done and wont take as long for lunch as im entitled to, once or twice ive had no breaks atall, but thats my choice.
I'd just take the breaks, theres not much they can do about it if you're entitled to it.

 

[bushmins]

I work 9 hours at a time sometimes and you don't here me complaining!


However my job is relaxed and I usually spend about 2 of them hours just eating

lol, try a 11 hour night or 12 hour day without a break

Infact dont.

 

[PhillyDee]

lol, try a 11 hour night or 12 hour day without a break

Infact dont.

I work 12 hour shifts, We get 1/2hr paid. Can be taken whenever we want. No way would I do a 12hour shift with no break.

 

[Camalot]

This is what i found in a folder in my works office, i took a piccy on my phone !

 

[Morba]

it's the same here, 4 hour overtime shifts or part time shifts do not get a break, we just end up using our ten minutes of "comfort break" for smokes this does mean we don't get toilet breaks whereas the non smokers do. The price you pay I guess!

you get allocated 10 mins of comfort breaks?
you go to for a fag during these scheduled times?

odd.