Part time staff will be aware of a recent change to the MOD Statement of Civilian Personnel Policy on Working Patterns and Defence Instruction Notice 2008DIN01-231 in which it stated:"Part time staff are not entitled to a paid meal break (except MDP part time officers). If you work over 6 hours in a day you must take an unpaid break of at least 20 minutes in accordance with the Working Time Regulations."
Members had raised this as a matter of some concern as it impacted directly upon their childcare arrangements. The branch is pleased to report that this issue has been (temporarily*) resolved and SPVA HR Business Partner team have issued a new note to procedure which states the following:
"All part time staff are entitled to an unpaid break and staff should be encouraged to take a break if at all possible. However, taking care arrangements into consideration and to offer flexibility, it has been agreed with Director CTLB HR Business Partner Team and supported by Kim Humberstone DCS, that SPVA can adopt a pragmatic approach in the interim, pending a review of the MOD policy. This means that if you work part time in SPVA, you are not required to take a meal break. However you are entitled to take an unpaid break of at least 20 minutes if you work more than 6 hours per day. There is no change to the arrangements for full time staff."
*Motion A11 'Part Time Lunch Breaks', agreed at the AGM refers. The motion calls on the GEC to ensure that the rules are changed to become compliant with the law and that lunch breaks for part time staff below daily full time hours are an entitlement but not obligatory.
