Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997 (Act No. 75 of 1997)Sectoral DeterminationsSectoral Determination 1 : Contract Cleaning Sector, South Africa13. Meal Intervals |
| (1) | An employer must give an employee who works continuously for more than five hours a meal interval of at least one continuous hour. |
| (2) | During a meal interval the employee may be required or permitted to perform only duties that cannot be left unattended and cannot be performed by another employee. |
| (3) | An employee must be remunerated— |
| (a) | for a meal interval in which the employee is required to work or is required to be available for work; and |
| (b) | for any portion of a meal interval that is in excess of 75 minutes unless the employee lives on the premises at which the workplace is situated. |
| (4) | For the purposes of subclause (1), work is continuous unless it is interrupted by an interval of at least 60 minutes. |
| (5) | An agreement in writing may— |
| (a) | reduce the meal interval to not less than 30 minutes; |
| (b) | dispense with a meal interval for an employee who works fewer than six hours on a day. |
| (c) | when on any day by reason of overtime worked an employer is required to give an employee a second meal interval, such interval may be reduced to not less than 15 minutes. |