In the case of Commissionaires Management vs Hughs, an Employment Appeals Tribunal decided that, even if an employee works 12 hours or more, they can legally take one 20-minute break. Prior to this it was a common assumption that staff could take two breaks in 12 hours.
Julian Yew, head of the hotel and leisure group at law firm Wedlake Bell, said: "We recommend employers think twice about taking advantage of it. It is understandable that they might be tempted to do so, considering the current pressures on employment to cut back labour costs.
"However, employers should not take this decision as an encouragement to roster employees to work longer hours with fewer breaks as they can still be exposed to claims for work-related stress, personal injury and negligence."
12 hours' working but only 20 minutes break
Staff are entitled to only one 20-minute break after six hours, no matter how many more hours they work.
