Law regarding rest breaks is disgusting

thorsoak

Back in the late 1950s, I was employed by Littlewoods as a Saturday girl, and received the princely sum of 19s. 9d (£1.00 less 3d national insurance).

We would all clock on at 9.a.m., and then we would be allocated early, middle or late breaks. If you were on early, you would have a 15 min break at 10.15 am, dinner beak (1 hour) 11.30 -12.30, 15 min tea break at 3.p.m. Middle would mean 10.30, 12.30-1.30, and 3.15, and late would mean 10.45, 1.30-2.30 and tea break at 3.30.pm.

Although we left the shop floor and went up to the canteen, we weren't allowed to leave the shop during morning & afternoon breaks, only at dinner break.

We finished work at 6.p.m.

scheming_gypsy

LadyMissA wrote: »

It was a reply as you said 'Tea (or dinner if you're a bit strange) - evening meal'

And when I said dinner was the evening meal you said it was cause I was from the south so I was saying where the term dinner comes from.

The word dinner means the first meal of the day and up north a lot of people call lunch dinner and it goes back to when people had 2 meals a day (the word dinner) and it means the largest meal of the day

You said that you bet I had dinner ladies at school so not sure what you were getting at there

at school you have dinner ladies when you have your lunch / dinner and the Victoria Woods sitcom is called 'Dinner Ladies' which says that dinner time is at lunch time... As like you said, dinner was the first meal of the day eaten at noon

Hammyman

ceridwen wrote: »

I'd be interested actually to know just when lunchtime could be during ANY of those "shifts"? Lunchtime in Britain starts at 12 noon - 1pm. Before 12 noon is unreasonably early. After 1pm is unreasonably late (and people would be absolutely starving)...so I cant actually see just how people COULD do that personally....

I've been a lorry driver. Lunchtime has been whenever I've been able to take it. Depending on when I've started, what I've got on and driving hours, lunchtime could be 8am in the morning, 12 noon, 3 in the afternoon, midnight or any other of the 24hrs in a day. A million other people in haulage are in the same boat as I've been - no such thing as a guarantee you'll get a lunch break anywhere between 12-1pm.

sunflower_2

Poppy9 wrote: »

Don't ever join the police force as my OH has frequently worked over 12 hour shifts with zero food/drink breaks and he's had to stand for hours at a scene, outside unable to go to the loo!! Just the nature of the job.

how come they are all fat??? donuts???

dark_lady

ceridwen wrote: »

Sits back feeling very envious of you right now then....:cool:

I've never been pregnant (though have had enough women explaining the urgency of "need" in those circumstances to understand)

- but, for those women who have period problems (and there ARE a LOT of them) then one really really CANNOT wait. I lost count of the number of times I had no choice whatsoever but to run for the loo as fast as I could - and no employer telling me "nay" could possibly have been allowed to stand in my way - I had no darn option BUT to do so...whether I myself liked it or no. That DOES happen to many women - and it's no good anyone (male or female) saying it doesnt or shouldnt - because it DOES and has to be dealt with promptly to save embarrassment.

If I had had an awkward employer during those years in my life - then I would have "pinned the blame" exactly where it lay for "problems" caused by their attitude - and made darn sure I shifted the "flack" onto the appropriate shoulders for "problems" (ie theirs - not mine) - but it would still have been awful to have been put in an awkward situation by them not understanding this DOES happen to a lot of women...darn it..

If you've got to go - then some of us REALLY REALLY do have to go and there is no option for it but to do so....

I actually do have whats called an overactive bladder. (there is an advert for a helpline for this condition on TV and in the advert they show a woman sitting at a till so whoever made the ad obviously understood the problems caused by the expectations in the retail sector.) When i am having a period it is even worse. I basically pee like a Shire horse at this time of the month. Its no lie i am going every ten minutes. Some nights it keeps me awake. When its really bad i am getting out of bed and going to the loo for a wee,then getting back into bed and pulling the covers over myself and then i have to get straight up again:mad: im like it at other times of the month too but during a period it is even worse. Its usually bad for the first three days of my period and then gets a little better but last month i was like it for a full seven days so its getting worse.
Many years ago i was on the contraceptive injection and that stopped my periods for five years. It was bliss.
But i am losing weight at the mo so dont want to be bunging myself up with hormones.
Past employers have been quite accomidating though so perhaps ive been lucky. And ive never had kids either so its not giving birth thats caused it.

ohreally

dark_lady wrote: »

I actually do have whats called an overactive bladder.

When i am having a period it is even worse.

I basically pee like a Shire horse at this time of the month.

I really, really wanted to know that.

scheming_gypsy

why would i spill any of my booze? or are you saying I'd have to be drunk to post that just because you don't know how a shire horse wees?

ceridwen

Another day is here...and lets hope we can get back onto discussing the topic on this thread and not have blind alleys with "personal" comments or wondering what word exactly to call a particular meal....:cool: