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Labour Relations Act, 1995 (Act No. 66 of 1995)

Notices

National Bargaining Council of SA Leather Industry

Tanning Section

Collective Agreement

5. Hours of Work

5.3. Meal and other rest intervals

 

Meal intervals

 

(1) An employer may not require or permit an employee to work for more than 5 hours continuously without a meal interval of at least an hour.

 

(2) An employer may reduce the meal interval to 30 minutes by obtaining the agreement of at least 75% of his employees.

 

(3) Where an employer has reduced the meal interval in terms of subclause (2), he will notify the District Committee for his area of such reduction.

 

(4) Where an employer is required to give an employee a second meal interval because of working overtime, such interval may be reduced to 15 minutes at the request of the employee.

 

(5) The meal interval in terms of subclauses (1), (2) and (4) will not form part of the ordinary hours of work or overtime.

 

Rest intervals

 

(6) The following rest periods shall be allowed to each employee, and shall be reckoned as time worked.
(a) Mondays to Saturdays, a period of not less than 10 minutes in the morning, provided that one hour has been worked.
(b) Mondays to Fridays, a period of not less than ten minutes in the afternoon: Provided that one hour has been worked after the lunch interval: Provided further that, in the event of the employer and not less than 75% of his employees agreeing not to observe one or both of the rest intervals, such rest interval or intervals may be dispensed with after a statement of such agreement has been lodged with the District Committee for the area concerned, and in that event, the ordinary hours of work for each day shall be reduced pro rata: Provided further that the time not taken as rest intervals shall nevertheless be deemed to be part of the ordinary hours of work, and be paid for as if such rest intervals had been observed.

The provisions of this clause do not apply to employees engaged on shift work in terms of clause 5.4.

 

(7) An employer may do away with one or both of the rest intervals in terms of subclause (6) by obtaining agreement from at least 75% of his employees and may reduce the number of ordinary hours of work accordingly.

 

(8) A statement of such agreement will be lodged with the District Committee for the area before the employer may dispense with rest intervals.