Should workers have pay deducted for coffee and cigarette breaks?
It’s a debate raging in Spain after the country’s high court ruled in favour of GALP, a Portuguese petrol company with a presence in Spain that began deducting time for employees that spent time off the premises.
That included breaks for a coffee or cigarette.
The trade union that brought the case now plans to appeal the ruling. Regardless, officials said the ruling will not affect everyone.
That’s because the deduction of time for cigarette and coffee breaks will rest on negotiations between unions and employers. If it is not clear that employees can take these breaks during working hours, the company will be able to deduct them.
