Approving Authority:	Director Human Resources
Date of Approval:	13 June 2001
Last Amended:	December 2006
Contact Officer:	Industrial Relations Advisory Unit

MEAL BREAKS

Length of break

Meal breaks for staff are not to be less than 30 minutes and not more than one hour, except where a flex-time system allows for more or with the approval of the supervisor.

Maximum working time

Staff shall not be required to work more than five consecutive hours without being able to take a meal break. A staff member required to work overtime beyond 6:00pm, or on a weekend or public holiday is entitled to an unpaid meal break of at least 30 minutes and may be paid a meal allowance (refer to Schedule 4 of the UNSW General Staff Enterprise Agreement 2006 regarding meal allowance).

Working during meal break

Where a staff member is required to work during a meal break, this time counts as part of their ordinary working hours.

Trades staff

Trade staff required to work during meal breaks will be paid at the rate of double time for that period and for the period until a meal break is allowed.

TEA BREAKS

Location

Tea breaks should be taken at the nearest facility or other area agreed upon by the staff member and the supervisor.

Morning

A tea break of ten minutes or less is available during the morning if mutually agreed between the staff member and the supervisor.

Afternoon

Staff should take their tea or coffee in the afternoons at their place of work. There should be no general interruption to the afternoon's work. Where for safety reasons, it is not feasible to take tea or coffee without ceasing work, such break shall not exceed ten minutes.

WASHING TIME

Trade staff engaged in dirty working conditions are permitted five minutes washing time before a meal break and before finishing time at the end of the day.