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View All NewsWales – Worker’s pay docked for toilet breaks
A call centre worker in Wales received a text message telling him that his wages were being docked an unspecified amount. The worker was not told in the message why the deductions were being made, reports the BBC.
Only after the unnamed worker contacted his employer, was he told that his wages had been docked £50 for taking toilet breaks.
Employment Relations Minister Jo Swinson has stated that firms could be breaking the law if they made deductions from salaries for visits to the toilet.
Madeline Moon MP, whose constituent had his wages docked, yesterday raised the issue in the House of Commons: “He was not told what the deductions were for. When he inquired he was told it was for toilet breaks. The company tells me they made ad hoc deductions for breaks away from the work station.”
In response, Ms Swinson said: "Workers have a right to rest breaks, which they do have a requirement for under law and, indeed if deductions are made from pay they have to be very clearly outlined, and indeed if they take somebody below the national minimum wage, then the employer could find themselves in breach of that law."
The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has previously called for the law to be changed to make it clear that workers should not have their pay deducted for toilet breaks.
In March 2010, the TUC issued a statement advising:
“For too long many workers have had to put up with either no toilet facilities, or very poor ones. At the same time we hear a growing number of horror stories of workers having to ask permission to go to the toilet or being docked pay for going. Toilet breaks are not a luxury, but a basic need, and the provision of toilets is a legal requirement.”
The TUC called for:
- The enforcement of the welfare laws covering the provision of toilet and washing facilities for men and women workers.
- A change in the law to give workers a specific right to go the toilet whenever they need and without detriment.