Lunch and coffee breaks

Lunch and coffee breaks according to VR and SA agreements

Lunch breaks for members who work according to VR and SA agreements are 0.5 - 1 hour per day during the period from 12:00 noon until 14:00 and is not considered work time, this is unpaid time. The right to a lunch break is based on at least 5 hours of work during the daytime work period.

Coffee breaks for shop assistants are 35 minutes per day based on daytime work and 15 minutes for office workers, this is paid time. Coffee breaks may be shortened or cancelled by agreement in the workplace and the work time is shortened accordingly. Those who work part time must have a proportional coffee break.

If an employee works during the lunch or coffee breaks in the daytime work period, this time must be paid with after-hours/overtime wages.

Supper breaks are from 19:00 to 20:00 on all days and are paid with after-hours/overtime wages. If this meal time is worked or a part thereof, longer overtime is paid accordingly.

Example: Worked until 19:10. 10 minutes after-hours/overtime wages are paid as applicable, due to work time until 19:10 pm. Additional 10 minutes overtime are also paid for meal times worked.

Evening coffee breaks must commence at 22:00 pm and is twenty minutes, this is paid time.

When work begins at 16:00 or later

Shop workers who turn up for work at 16:00 or later shall receive payment for 5 minutes for each hour they work (though for a minimum of 15 minutes) with respect to refreshment breaks that are not utilised. Employees who work 4½ hours or longer, however, shall be entitled to a full 1-hour meal break.

Breaks in the working time of workers in grocery stores

In view of the additional workload on staff working on cash registers on Fridays and the last working day before public holidays that fall on any of the days from Monday to Friday, employees who are obliged to be at work for at least three continuous hours after 16:00 shall be granted a 15-minute break during the period 16:00-19:00, provided that no evening meal break is taken on the aforementioned days.

Other meal and refreshment breaks

When work is done outside the daytime working period, the meal break shall be from
3:00–4:00 and refreshment breaks from 22:00–22:20 and from 6:15–6:30.

Meal and coffee breaks according to VR and FA agreements

Employees are entitled to a work break which amounts to at least 0.5 hours in total per day, unless otherwise agreed. Daily time taken as work break must not exceed 1 hour unless the work day exceeds 8 hours per day, in which case work breaks may amount to 1.5 hours per day.

On the days when work finishes before 14:00, an agreement may be reached to take no break.

Supper breaks must be during the period from 19:00 to 20:00 and are paid with overtime wages. If the meal time is worked or a part thereof, such time is paid in addition to the work time with the same wages, one hour. This must be paid even though work time is shorter. If overtime is worked, mealtimes must be from 03:00 to 04:00.