📨 Have you signed up to the Forum's new Email Digest yet? Get a selection of trending threads sent straight to your inbox daily, weekly or monthly!

Exploitation and no lunch hour.

Options
1242526272830»

Comments

  • Firstly thats kind of what they are doing. He finishes at 1 say can take his luch - unpaid then. Whats the differnce changin his hours until 2 and letting has 1-2 unpaid for lkunch??

    I think SG was being 'ironic' or 'sarcastic'. Depending on how you look at it.
    If you haven't got it - please don't flaunt it. TIA.
  • Sorry about the thanks, dont want to be accused of 'back-slapping'!

    Ahem.
  • Firstly thats kind of what they are doing. He finishes at 1 say can take his luch - unpaid then. Whats the differnce changin his hours until 2 and letting has 1-2 unpaid for lkunch??

    .
    I think SG was being 'ironic' or 'sarcastic'. Depending on how you look at it.


    Yep, he's only working till lunch but still wants a lunch hour, so extend his hours and give him his lunch hour... He's still only doing an 8 - 1 shift but gets the lunch hour he's complaining about.
  • adouglasmhor
    adouglasmhor Posts: 15,554 Forumite
    Photogenic
    bevanuk wrote: »
    That's a bodybuilders diet.


    Especially when bulking up!
    The truth may be out there, but the lies are inside your head. Terry Pratchett


    http.thisisnotalink.cöm
  • Evil_Olive
    Evil_Olive Posts: 322 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 9 November 2011 at 6:31AM
    The OP was firstly, not employed.
    The OP did say that he was on JSA and the work was voluntary (ie. unpaid) for the first 4 weeks but I don't think he ever clarified exactly what the arrangements were. If this was a work placement or other scheme arranged by the JobCentre it is not likely that he would be able to take breaks whenever he liked without incurring penalties and the employer would be obliged to follow rules laid down by the scheme provider/JobCentre regarding working conditions - these would be unlikely not to include break entitlements equal to the legal entitlement of a regular employee.
    And secondly, was on a 5 hour shift. 8-1. So, was more than able to take his lunch at 1, like millions of workers every day.?
    I think perhaps you may have read my post selectively or just skim read it (I don't blame you - I suffer from Lengthy Post Syndrome :)). This was partly just a general statement of the law and more than once in the same post I exhorted the OP to seek out all the information he could lay his hands on and to be 100% sure that the law applied to his particular situation before challenging anyone.
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    1) READ all the information on the link in liney's post which you quoted above, clicking on the 'Young workers and working hours (young people section)' if relevant and make sure you thoroughly understand it as there are exceptions and flexibilities in the law for certain job types and circumstances.
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    When you are absolutely sure that you/your job role meets the requirements to be entitled to a break as outlined above...
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    Check with them also that you are definitely legally entitled to a break.
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    5) Read ALL the information AGAIN, be 100% sure that you are within your legal rights to insist on a break.
    The OP intimated that others in his workplace were working full days, also without a break, and that he might himself be working full days in the future.
    Martynb_ wrote: »
    I did 5 hours today, but no-one no matter what hours they do gets a break. If I am planing on working there 9-5 I'm going to need food to keep me going
    The advice I gave pertained only if and when the OP did work a shift long enough to be entitled to a break.
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    2) When you start your first shift that is more than 6 hours (or 4 1/2 hrs depending on your age) long ask your your supervisor if/when you should take your break.
    I don't think the OP gave his age - If he is under 18 he would be legally entitled to a 30 minute break during a 5 hour shift. This law is there to, quite rightly, prevent employers from exploiting minors in the way they did back in the bad old days - doesn't stop them from trying it though I bet :D

    Report it to whom dear?
    Again I think perhaps you may not have read the relevant part of my post.
    Evil_Olive wrote: »
    4) At the earliest opportunity seek advice from the organisation who arranged the work programme on who you should report this to and what you should do to stop it happening again
    .
    Luckily I don't have a thin skin or particularly sensitive disposition but I think your tone might come across as unwelcoming to some newbies - especially if they are genuinely trying to add something useful to the forums.

    PS I am my man's woman, but I am nobody's dear ;)

    I understand that there may be a valid reason to dislike/dismiss the OP - I am a newbie here - the above was only my second post and I have not yet read any of of the OP's previous posts. Perhaps he is a lazy workshy lightweight who is wasting everybody's time, but I was bearing in mind that other people visiting this forum may have the same problem and be drawn to this thread looking for practical advice.
    I was attempting to give it as I was in a similar situation once while working a 9 hour day in a very physical job (this DOES make a massive difference to food reqirements by the way) and the steps I outlined worked for me.

    Having (rather belatedly it seems) caught the prevailing tone of this forum I fear I may be in danger of having previous posts looked up and being accused of defending the legal right to a reasonable break because I am lazy myself.
    I have written in my only other post that I was recently made unemployed due to the local council cutbacks (the reason I joined this forum) I would like to state that I usually work in security - CCTV - which counts as surveillance and is one of the exceptions to the law I quoted - I have worked 12 hour shifts for the last 8 years with often no meal/other break at all and no legal entitlement to one. I was happy to do that - it was my job and I'd be glad to have it back again. I knew there would be no breaks when I took it - but I would not have been happy to do so if I had been legally entitled to a break or my employer was breaking the law Re working conditions in any other way.

    And if anyone is thinking that I am up this late on the internet because I am a waster - I have worked night shifts for the last 8 years and my body is just used to those hours - I am using this forum imbetween filling in online job applications/uploading CVs - my internet connection works faster after midnight.

    Lastly, a confession - I failed to follow my own rules and didn't make sure I thoroughly understood all the information I looked up before posting Re entitlement to spend your break off-premises. Looking again, the info on the Directgov website regarding this is actually rather ambiguous
    you are allowed to spend it away from the place on your employer's premises where you work
    (my italics)
    This implies that you are not necessarily entitled to spend it completely off-site but are entitled to spend it away from the part of the premises where you work (eg not at your desk) and therefore, presumably, not working.
    Will edit previous post to reflect this - don't want to confuse anyone.
    Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s. They are broke!
  • scheming_gypsy
    scheming_gypsy Posts: 18,410 Forumite
    Evil_Olive wrote: »

    The OP intimated that others in his workplace were working full days, also without a break, and that he might himself be working full days in the future.
    .


    he also said they drank tea and ate toast, which would indicate that they have: cups, tea bags, milk, sugar, a kettle, bread and a toaster. And a few porkie pies that the OP has been throwing at us, because lets be honest! how many employers are going to offer a kitchen area and facilities if it's never going to be used.
    He also said that nobody else had a break, but how would he know if he'd worked one 5 hour shift and then went home. They could have taken lunch from 1pm onwards.
  • Emmzi
    Emmzi Posts: 8,658 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    OP also said he was going for a run last Thursday and hasn't been back.

    Surely we're done here by now? :-)
    Debt free 4th April 2007.
    New house. Bigger mortgage. MFWB after I have my buffer cash in place.
  • Emmzi wrote: »
    OP also said he was going for a run last Thursday and hasn't been back.

    Surely we're done here by now? :-)

    Wow, thats a lot of power bars! I run 5 miles & need some sugar, how much would OP need in 6 days?
  • Evil_Olive
    Evil_Olive Posts: 322 Forumite
    Tenth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    edited 10 November 2011 at 7:07AM
    I totally get what you're all saying but, as I say, I'm bearing in mind that other people visiting this forum may have the same problem, minus the tea & toast, and come to this thread looking for practical advice. :)
    Don’t try to keep up with the Jones’s. They are broke!
  • Reverbe
    Reverbe Posts: 4,210 Forumite
    1,000 Posts Combo Breaker
    he also said they drank tea and ate toast, which would indicate that they have: cups, tea bags, milk, sugar, a kettle, bread and a toaster. And a few porkie pies that the OP has been throwing at us, because lets be honest! how many employers are going to offer a kitchen area and facilities if it's never going to be used.
    He also said that nobody else had a break, but how would he know if he'd worked one 5 hour shift and then went home. They could have taken lunch from 1pm onwards.
    That does sound odd to me. We have no staff area/facilities other than a loo but then again I work for a company that tries as hard as they can to avoid ppl taking breaks by clever shift rotas...
    What Would Bill Buchanan Do?
This discussion has been closed.
Meet your Ambassadors

🚀 Getting Started

Hi new member!

Our Getting Started Guide will help you get the most out of the Forum

Categories

  • All Categories
  • 351K Banking & Borrowing
  • 253.1K Reduce Debt & Boost Income
  • 453.6K Spending & Discounts
  • 244.1K Work, Benefits & Business
  • 599K Mortgages, Homes & Bills
  • 177K Life & Family
  • 257.4K Travel & Transport
  • 1.5M Hobbies & Leisure
  • 16.1K Discuss & Feedback
  • 37.6K Read-Only Boards

Is this how you want to be seen?

We see you are using a default avatar. It takes only a few seconds to pick a picture.