A union in Great Britain has voiced its displeasure at a meat processing company’s policy of requiring its employees to clock out every time they have to use the bathroom.
The union, Unite, calls the policy of Brown Brothers, “Dickensian.”
(Since 11th grade British Literature seems a long time ago to us, we looked up an official definition of Dickensian: “denoting poverty, distress and exploitation as depicted in novels of Charles Dickens.”)
Media reports say the workers have to clock out, take off their wellies, overalls and hairnets, before using the bathroom.
Brown Brothers says the policy is part of a special pay deal agreed upon with workers and unions to ensure production ran smoothly. Staff reportedly received extra money as part of the deal which aimed to focus bathroom breaks at set times of the day.
In the U.S. there have been several court cases regarding whether employers should pay employees for the time they put on and take off required safety gear at the beginning and end of their shifts. In most cases, courts have held that employers have to pay.
So will this British company’s policy spur similar rules at U.S. companies, and will that in turn mean lawsuits on whether employees should be paid during bathroom breaks?
