WRC declines to hear sales assistant’s dispute over paid breaks

The WRC could not recommend a resolution to a sales assistant’s dispute over paid breaks because it found the matter concerned working time for a body of workers and fell outside its jurisdiction. Adjudication Officer Gaye Cunningham dated the recommendation 1 March 2024. The worker challenged a rule that preserved paid breaks for employees who started before 15 June 2022 but removed them for later starters. The employer said a review found its timekeeping system had failed to record 15-minute breaks, which were then treated as paid working time, and that it ended the practice after consultation.