BP has joined a growing list of major UK retailers, including Asda and Sainsbury’s, in removing paid rest breaks for hourly paid staff. The decision affects 5,400 employees at company-owned petrol stations and is part of a wider restructuring of pay and benefits. While the company frames the move as an alignment with industry standards, it effectively neutralizes the financial gain of the upcoming hourly wage increase.
The trend of scrapping paid breaks has accelerated in recent years as businesses look for ways to offset sharp rises in the legal minimum wage and other operating costs. By converting a 20 or 30-minute paid break into unpaid time, employers can reduce their total wage bill significantly across thousands of shifts. For BP, this change accompanies a rise in the base rate to £13.45 an hour, but the loss of paid downtime means the “cost” to the company for that higher rate is largely mitigated.
For the employees on the ground, the change is palpable. A worker on a standard shift will now be at the workplace for the same amount of time but will be paid for less of it. Additionally, the lucrative bank holiday bonuses that many relied on are being scaled back. This shift in policy highlights the precarious nature of retail benefits, which are increasingly being eroded to fund base-rate hikes.
Legal experts note that while the removal of paid breaks is unpopular, it is generally lawful provided the employer follows proper consultation procedures. The government mandates rest breaks for health and safety but does not stipulate that they must be paid. This legislative gap allows profitable companies to adjust benefits packages to maintain margins even as they publicly champion higher hourly wages.
BP’s spokesperson emphasized that the company reviews its benefits regularly to stay “fair and competitive.” They also highlighted that the base pay increase is being introduced early, in February rather than April. However, for the staff losing their paid downtime, the move feels less like a competitive adjustment and more like a reduction in the quality of their working conditions.