Meal & Tea Breaks & Utilistation of Working Hours

1.5 Meal and Tea Breaks

(a) Working Day Where the working day is longer than six hours employees are entitled to a break.

(b) Meal Breaks Meal breaks including washing time shall be unpaid, and shall be of one hour duration, or less, at the employer’s discretion.
(c) Tea Breaks Tea breaks shall be paid and shall be mutually agreed between employers and employees.

Once agreed the time permitted for meal/tea breaks shall not be exceeded.

1.6 Utilisation of Working Hours

There shall be full utilisation of working hours which shall not be subject to unauthorised “breaks”.

Employers and employees, with the involvement of the local full-time Union official, may agree on any job arrangements for the maximum utilisation of working hours; a bonus payment or payments related to progress of the work and productivity levels, or any other related matters, in addition to the normal hourly rates of pay.

Bad time-keeping and/or unauthorised absences from the place of work during working hours shall be construed as “Industrial Misconduct”.