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  |  Experts  |  Workplace Rights - Rachel Lewis  |  Am I entitled to eat?
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Am I entitled to eat?

by Work Rights Expert, Rachel Lewis

question
If you work an eight-hour day are you, by law, entitled to a lunch break? I work in an office and supposedly have half an hour for lunch and yet have actually yet to have a lunch due to the workload I am expected to get through. There is no facility for food anywhere on the premises and there are no shops in the vicinity.
elizabetharg

answer
There are two arguments here - first, whatever your contract says about lunch and secondly, the provisions of the Working Time Regulations, which provide that every worker should have at least a 20-minute break every six hours.

That's a completely clear and absolute right, so in theory you should not suffer any victimisation if you raise it as an issue. That's all well and good in theory but it's still pretty difficult to do if there are piles of work around you and no one else is having lunch. Can you encourage your colleagues to observe their lunch breaks? That way, you're less likely to be viewed as the odd one out.

Live Q&A on Ask The Expert
Employment lawyer Rachel Lewis advises on your work-related issues

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