No breaks while working casual (1 Viewer)

[Jessie moo moo]

I am on my 3rd shift working in a service station. I was told by the lady who was training me, that because everyone is casual you aren't allowed a break. I have been working 2-4 days between 4-6 hours of just standing behind the counter doing all the normal service station stuff basicilly. I thought I would at least get 15 minute break, my concentration levels drop after about 3 hours

 

[Slidey]

Tell her she is wrong. Legally you entitled to a break.

I am not sure on it all, but at McDonald's, you are meant to be given a 10 minute drink/rest break every 3 hours, at least. It's wasn't usually followed, but they did give us a 30 minute food break if we worked 5 or more hours.

But, yeah, there is a bunch of laws behind it and they would be especially enforcable for young people like yourself, so you might want to mention that to this 'friend' of yours who's trying to do a con job on you.

Do some research first of course. Try an australia only search on google with the keywords: "casual job rights break"

 

[Panda Bear]

yup you are legally required to have a break

 

[sugaryblue]

i thought over three hours of work, you're entitled to a 10min break??

and 5 hours, you're entitled to a 30min break

and 8 hours, you're entitled to an hour break

 

[soha]

at woolies we get a 15 minute for a 5 hour shift
a 7 1/2 hour shift is a half hour and a 15 minute
a 9 hour is a hour break and a 15

we have people take 45 minute breaks on their 15 minute
and they got councelled..haha..
the most ive done is 20 minutes coz i was reading

 

[Carlito]

You should get at least 10 or 15 mins for over 5 hours.

Most places you dont get a break with a 4 hour shift.

 

[soha]

if ur training at woolies u get a 5 minute break every hour to sit down
coz scanning on registers can be very tiring ur first few shifts

but thats just at woolies

 

[soha]

neither did i come to think of it
but i was training 3 yrs ago
maybe its new?

 

[greeninsanity]

At the Bakers Delight where I work they give us a 10 minute break for 5 hours (most shifts are 4.5 hours, so no break) and 5 minutes extra for each extra hour. So 6 hours = 15 minute break... 9 hours = 1/2 hour break.

 

[elisabeth]

I worked for 6hrs at Oporto, no break... I was scheduled to work 12-3, but the manager asked me to come in at 10:30... then at 3, he asked if I could stay 1/2hr more, then another 1/2hr until it was 5:30, we were closed and I realised I'd worked so long with not even a 15 minute sit down break.

Then again, I heard somewhere that on Sundays the regular break rules don't apply...?

 

[townie]

from:http://www.industrialrelations.nsw.gov.au/rights/employer/relation/awards.html

Meal-Breaks, Tea-Breaks, Crib-Breaks
Generally, there must be at least one meal break of between 30 minutes and one hour during each day. The meal break must be normally given five hours after the employee starts work.

Some awards state the exact time at which the meal break should be taken. Normally the main meal break is taken in the employee's own time. It is not a paid break. Shift-workers are usually entitled to a 20 minute paid crib break in each shift instead of the longer unpaid break.

Some awards provide for a ten minute rest period (tea break) either in the morning or afternoon, or both. In other cases, the award may not provide for any rest period at all in which case the granting of such breaks is largely at the employer's discretion. These rest periods or tea breaks normally count as time worked

 

[theone123]

for us its 4 hours of less = nothing
5 hours = 15 mins
6 hours = 30 mins
7 hours = 45 mins
8 hours = 1 hr
9 hours = 1 hr 15 mins
etc.

 

[biggles04]

Dear god. I have been reading Soha's and Nat's posts and all of those are strange.

I couldn't really say because I haven't been a supervisor for long (if someone says to me "I need to have a break sometime then I will let them have their break).
All I know is that I do what I like, I'm a dpmgr and nobody cares what we do with our break times.

 

[loquasagacious]

Find out what award you are employed under - you are entitled to know.

Check the award - if you are not getting the breaks you are entitled to demand them.

 

[MiuMiu]

You aren't legally entitled to a break, it all depends on what AWA you signed when you joined up. You should have read the workplace agreement before you accepted employment. In this would be set out break entitlements and stuff like that.

I actually recently rejected a job because the AWA was a farce and unfair. I made this known to the employer and told him that until he picks up his act I could not accept employment with him.