New 30 hr contracts & meal breaks

[Playmail]

we clock in 20 mins early and finish 20mins early

[Mickeybrowneyes]

It seems wrong to take your break as soon as you get in and probably illegal too.
Ours are working for an hour before their breaks kick in which still isn't great but it seems to be ok with people.
My advice on that would be see if you partner doesn't mind changing his breaks to fit a more suitable time for you when you are working on a CDV.
Get manager/rep involved in the conversation if you meet resistance.
You could both take it on delivery even.or just before you go out.

The thing is now the walk I was covering for the past 3 months or so has now been signed for by someone more senior than me, so I'll be going back to being a floater so working with different people each day most likely, I don't really want to have to make others change their routines and I know most of them wouldn't anyway as none of them are interested in doing excess / OT, it's get back 10 minutes before scan out time and go home.

I'll probably push to being paired with someone one on the same contract as me or being allocated walks which have their own van and doing it on my own.

Yeah, in reality that may not be possible.
It's not a massive ask for someone to move their break time when they work with you. As long as their is work to be prepped while the others take thier break management shouldn't have a problem with it.
Alternatively take it after two hours and raise it with your rep/manager and say legally you want the break to fit the requirements of employers rights guidelines.
But your partner will have to work while you have a break in the van.
Id try and sort something out locally with your manager/rep/CDV partner.
To be honest if you opt for taking ten minutes instead of twenty and take twenty at the end it shouldn't be a major issue.

[insomniak]

If you want to scan out with the others you could just take ten minute break at some point and take the twenty at the end.
On the DDS the finishing times have to align so it's the only way to get round leaving at the same time as everyone else.

I was doing that but now been told that I cannot do that. Also at Xmas I went up to FT hours and it was written in bold letters at the bottom of the duties times that we cannot take our breaks at the end of the shift. But then I was doing FT hours and entitled to 2 x 20 minute breaks and due to the amount of work I was doing it wasn't an issue as I was actually on my own in the van for the last 3 hours of the shift so could take the breaks when I wanted.

[Mickeybrowneyes]

Though I did previously loosely follow the break patterns, these days I take the view that as it is unpaid, it is my time to choose what to do with and when - or even if - to take it.

The law says it is my right to take a break. The company doesn’t have a right to enforce any break (though it might do if it were paying me to take a break and therefore insisting I take one).

My contract says I must provide eight hours of labour each day. I gladly do so. If, however, as happens most days, I haven’t had a break, I will be leaving on the dot — unless there is OT (which at the minute there is very little of!).

Managers can see me carrying on with my work while others are on break, often going out on delivery while everyone else is still on break, and I haven’t encountered any problems with this.

They have to align the DDS and with the breaks built into the timings so while it isn't a problem you at the minute some managers who are more by the book and anal about scan to pay percentages could hold you back 40 minutes even if you didn't have a break.
On the SISO your hours will be 8.40 not 8.

[insomniak]

we clock in 20 mins early and finish 20mins early

Not sure how that helps me take a 30 minute unpaid break?

[Mickeybrowneyes]

If you want to scan out with the others you could just take ten minute break at some point and take the twenty at the end.
On the DDS the finishing times have to align so it's the only way to get round leaving at the same time as everyone else.

I was doing that but now been told that I cannot do that. Also at Xmas I went up to FT hours and it was written in bold letters at the bottom of the duties times that we cannot take our breaks at the end of the shift. But then I was doing FT hours and entitled to 2 x 20 minute breaks and due to the amount of work I was doing it wasn't an issue as I was actually on my own in the van for the last 3 hours of the shift so could take the breaks when I wanted.

Does your office all split their breaks. Is that what was agreed in the last revision.
You can take your break at the end of your shift.
If other people are scanning out before you then they must split their breaks.
Him saying you have to stay because you dont get paid breaks is wrong. Get the rep involved.
You still get a break even though it's not paid so that's not a reason to hold you back.
As long as your have done six hours work you should be able to go.
But all the finishing times should align.

[insomniak]

It seems wrong to take your break as soon as you get in and probably illegal too.
Ours are working for an hour before their breaks kick in which still isn't great but it seems to be ok with people.
My advice on that would be see if you partner doesn't mind changing his breaks to fit a more suitable time for you when you are working on a CDV.
Get manager/rep involved in the conversation if you meet resistance.
You could both take it on delivery even.or just before you go out.

The thing is now the walk I was covering for the past 3 months or so has now been signed for by someone more senior than me, so I'll be going back to being a floater so working with different people each day most likely, I don't really want to have to make others change their routines and I know most of them wouldn't anyway as none of them are interested in doing excess / OT, it's get back 10 minutes before scan out time and go home.

I'll probably push to being paired with someone one on the same contract as me or being allocated walks which have their own van and doing it on my own.

Yeah, in reality that may not be possible.
It's not a massive ask for someone to move their break time when they work with you. As long as their is work to be prepped while the others take thier break management shouldn't have a problem with it.
Alternatively take it after two hours and raise it with your rep/manager and say legally you want the break to fit the requirements of employers rights guidelines.
But your partner will have to work while you have a break in the van.
Id try and sort something out locally with your manager/rep/CDV partner.
To be honest if you opt for taking ten minutes instead of twenty and take twenty at the end it shouldn't be a major issue.

Taking a break in the van isn't ideal either as your entitled to uninterrupted breaks away from your work station. So if I wanted to spend the 30 minutes in a local cafe then I should be able to. It's unpaid time, why should they get to dictate what I do in that time?

It also will be a massive ask for someone to take their break later as it will mean getting out on delivery later. The FT's have their breaks scheduled and they all seem happy with how it works, because they get to go home 20 minutes earlier than they should in theory.

[insomniak]

Most mornings just before we go out on delivery the manager likes to have a daily team meeting where they discuss the previous days performance and bring up any news etc. This usually takes place straight after the 20 minute break. Sometimes we have to watch a video or do some training before going out on delivery, so me taking a full 30 minute break first thing at 9am would mean that I'd miss these too.

Don't forget the Saturdays where everyone just takes their 30 minute break at the end goes home. But recently this is apparently an issue for me doing the same? by that point I've already worked my 6 hours straight and still have to sit in the depot unpaid for 30 minutes?

Or do I take my 30 minutes in the morning on my own which will then mean my partner for the day is prepping both walks and we'll be getting out later, but then at least I could go back out and do one final loop or some parcels on my own for the remaining half hour.

[Mickeybrowneyes]

It seems wrong to take your break as soon as you get in and probably illegal too.
Ours are working for an hour before their breaks kick in which still isn't great but it seems to be ok with people.
My advice on that would be see if you partner doesn't mind changing his breaks to fit a more suitable time for you when you are working on a CDV.
Get manager/rep involved in the conversation if you meet resistance.
You could both take it on delivery even.or just before you go out.

The thing is now the walk I was covering for the past 3 months or so has now been signed for by someone more senior than me, so I'll be going back to being a floater so working with different people each day most likely, I don't really want to have to make others change their routines and I know most of them wouldn't anyway as none of them are interested in doing excess / OT, it's get back 10 minutes before scan out time and go home.

I'll probably push to being paired with someone one on the same contract as me or being allocated walks which have their own van and doing it on my own.

Yeah, in reality that may not be possible.
It's not a massive ask for someone to move their break time when they work with you. As long as their is work to be prepped while the others take thier break management shouldn't have a problem with it.
Alternatively take it after two hours and raise it with your rep/manager and say legally you want the break to fit the requirements of employers rights guidelines.
But your partner will have to work while you have a break in the van.
Id try and sort something out locally with your manager/rep/CDV partner.
To be honest if you opt for taking ten minutes instead of twenty and take twenty at the end it shouldn't be a major issue.

Taking a break in the van isn't ideal either as your entitled to uninterrupted breaks away from your work station. So if I wanted to spend the 30 minutes in a local cafe then I should be able to. It's unpaid time, why should they get to dictate what I do in that time?

It also will be a massive ask for someone to take their break later as it will mean getting out on delivery later. The FT's have their breaks scheduled and they all seem happy with how it works, because they get to go home 20 minutes earlier than they should in theory.

As long as you have work to do on your frames while the others are on their break then you should tied up and ready to go earlier than other people so shouldn't affect the departure time even if you took the break right before delivery.
If your unhappy about taking the break as soon as you come in then you should raise that and they will have to make adjustments and move it later.
If you want the full 30 mins in the day then the manager is within his right to hold you back twenty minutes because of the finishing times aligning.
They can adjust breaks but not the finishing times.

[Mickeybrowneyes]

Most mornings just before we go out on delivery the manager likes to have a daily team meeting where they discuss the previous days performance and bring up any news etc. This usually takes place straight after the 20 minute break. Sometimes we have to watch a video or do some training before going out on delivery, so me taking a full 30 minute break first thing at 9am would mean that I'd miss these too.

Don't forget the Saturdays where everyone just takes their 30 minute break at the end goes home. But recently this is apparently an issue for me doing the same? by that point I've already worked my 6 hours straight and still have to sit in the depot unpaid for 30 minutes?

Or do I take my 30 minutes in the morning on my own which will then mean my partner for the day is prepping both walks and we'll be getting out later, but then at least I could go back out and do one final loop or some parcels on my own for the remaining half hour.

You can't take all your break at the end. It can only be split.
People generally rush round a bit more on a Saturday to get the most of the weekend they have.
The problem is when there is work left in the office and people scan out early even on a Saturday the manager gets grief from above.
Even if you have worked through your break then can still send you out with work or keep you to time.
Sometimes people come in and hour early then get done early but get sent back out.
They don't count working through breaks or coming in early as hours worked.
It's why people shouldn't do it.
I'm not sure if you can take your full break in the day if the office agreement is to split it to be honest.
But definitely speak up if you want your break to be moved to a time that is more in line with the guidelines of 20 mins every four hours.
It's a tough one really, if you have briefings just before you go out and you have to be there then you can only really take it on delivery which will impact the way you do a delivery.
You may have to go back out when you drop your partner off too which is far from practical.

[postslippete]

Alternatively, get a petition going to get the new starters on paid breaks. 10,000 signatures gets a response from the government but over 100,000 signatures would be considered for debate in Parliament. There are over 150,000 employees for Royal Mail but how many people work in the UK have a contract that says they don't get paid for a break? Thousands....

Think outside of the box. The Union are missing a trick not having me in their ranks.

[insomniak]

Alternatively, get a petition going to get the new starters on paid breaks. 10,000 signatures gets a response from the government but over 100,000 signatures would be considered for debate in Parliament. There are over 150,000 employees for Royal Mail but how many people work in the UK have a contract that says they don't get paid for a break? Thousands....

Think outside of the box. The Union are missing a trick not having me in their ranks.

I'd rather they took the unpaid breaks out of the 30 hour contracts since they are not required by law if working 6 hours or less per day and I could just scan in work six hours scan out and go home.

[menditsa]

The 30 min break is automatically taken from the hours I clock each day so I have to clock 6hrs 30 mins to get paid my 6 hours.

Not a problem for now as I drive solo and take two 15 mins around my workload.

A numpty manager at one point did start sending me out with others that finished 90 mins before me. I work 09.00 - 15.30
So I'd get back at 2pm for the other postie to clock off, take my 30 min break until 2.30pm
And yes I was expected to go out again with tracked but after scanning and sorting the van I'd have 30 mins left on my hours, yup you guessed it I'd drive 10 mins away from the DO then stop and turn around and bring the whole lot back.

[insomniak]

Here’s the scenario when I’m scheduled to work a Sunday at the end of the week. Sundays are 8 hour shifts, so we only do 5.5 hours the week leading up to it (4 x 5.5 = 22 + 8 Sunday = 30 hours)

My start time on a Wednesday – 8:59am
Finish time listed as 2:59pm (note it’s still 6 hours)
Meal relief -30 minutes

Full timers on the old contracts finish time listed as 2:39pm (should be 2:59pm but they get to scan out 20 minutes early) their breaks are listed as 20 minutes at 9am and 20 minutes at the end.

So the manager wants me to scan in at 8:59am, take a 20 minute break at 9am. Then start prepping from 9.20am. The FT will want to be back at the depot by 2:30pm to have enough time to unload, sign the keys back in etc, then they scan out at 2:39 and go home.

Meanwhile I’m also back at the depot now at 2:30pm, but my official finish time isn’t until 2:59pm and I’ve still got 10 minutes unpaid break owing to me…

[menditsa]

So the manager wants me to scan in at 8:59am, take a 20 minute break at 9am.

Totally illegal.