Break at work
We are employees working for a hospital in one of the districts in Dodoma. Due to the scarcity of medical personnel, we usually do not have breaks and this can be very exhausting. We have talked to the hospital management without any positive outcome. What does the law say about breaks at work?
EU, Dodoma
We are sorry to hear about your situation. It is true, working without a break is exhausting and affects the overall productivity in the workplace. The Employment and Labour Relations Act [Cap. 366 R.E. 2019] requires an employer to provide a break to an employee. Section 23(1) of the Act states that an employer shall give an employee who works continuously for more than 5 hours a break of at least 60 minutes. Where it is impossible to do so an employer may require an employee to work during a break only if the work cannot be left unattended or cannot be performed by another employee. Further, an employer shall not be obliged to pay an employee for the period of a break unless the employee is required to work, or to be available for work, during the break. We do not know if you are paid to work during the denied break but it is something for you to also consider.