[UK] BP will end paid rest breaks and extra bank holiday pay

In the UK, the multinational oil and gas company BP is set to stop paying its forecourt staff for their rest breaks and will put an end to premium pay for all bank holidays, Personnel Today reports.

Currently, hourly pay for employees at BP’s 310 company-operated petrol stations is due to increase in line with the voluntary Living Wage to £13.45 outside London, a 6.7 per cent rise.

Workers at 850 BP-branded forecourts operated by other companies will reportedly not be affected by the change because they have separate terms and conditions.

The majority of BP customer service assistants currently receive “time and a half” for working on bank holidays and are paid for 30-minute breaks when they work more than six hours. In addition, they are entitled to a paid 20-minute break for shifts of four to six hours.

Its change of practice reflects a trend across retail, which has seen many supermarkets no longer paying for rest breaks. Aldi is one of the last major supermarkets to continue to pay staff during rest breaks.

Sainsbury faced a backlash when it changed the contracts for 130,000 staff in 2018. The changes included abolishing paid rest breaks.

Under the UK’s Working Time Regulations, employees are entitled to minimum daily rest periods, but these breaks do not have to be paid.

A BP spokesperson said, “We regularly review our pay and benefits to stay fair and competitive, including benchmarking with the rest of the UK retail industry. As a result, early next year, we will be adjusting how we structure pay for hourly-paid colleagues working in our 310 company-owned retail stores across the UK.

“From February, we will no longer pay for rest breaks and pay premium rates on fewer national bank holidays. However, we will be increasing our base hourly pay and, to help support colleagues, we will bring in this annual increase two months earlier than usual, also in early February 2026.”

Paul Nowak - TUC general secretary - said, “Workers are still suffering a severe cost-of-living hangover from 14 years of Tory government. This would be the worst possible time for BP to cut benefits and impose a stealth pay reduction.

“In the future, the Employment Rights Bill will provide important new protections to prevent employers from imposing contractual changes to workers’ pay.”

Source: Personnel Today

(Link and quotes via original reporting)

In the UK, the multinational oil and gas company BP is set to stop paying its forecourt staff for their rest breaks and will put an end to premium pay for all bank holidays, Personnel Today reports.

Currently, hourly pay for employees at BP’s 310 company-operated petrol stations is due to increase in line with the voluntary Living Wage to £13.45 outside London, a 6.7 per cent rise.

Workers at 850 BP-branded forecourts operated by other companies will reportedly not be affected by the change because they have separate terms and conditions.

The majority of BP customer service assistants currently receive “time and a half” for working on bank holidays and are paid for 30-minute breaks when they work more than six hours. In addition, they are entitled to a paid 20-minute break for shifts of four to six hours.

Its change of practice reflects a trend across retail, which has seen many supermarkets no longer paying for rest breaks. Aldi is one of the last major supermarkets to continue to pay staff during rest breaks.

Sainsbury faced a backlash when it changed the contracts for 130,000 staff in 2018. The changes included abolishing paid rest breaks.

Under the UK’s Working Time Regulations, employees are entitled to minimum daily rest periods, but these breaks do not have to be paid.

A BP spokesperson said, “We regularly review our pay and benefits to stay fair and competitive, including benchmarking with the rest of the UK retail industry. As a result, early next year, we will be adjusting how we structure pay for hourly-paid colleagues working in our 310 company-owned retail stores across the UK.

“From February, we will no longer pay for rest breaks and pay premium rates on fewer national bank holidays. However, we will be increasing our base hourly pay and, to help support colleagues, we will bring in this annual increase two months earlier than usual, also in early February 2026.”

Paul Nowak - TUC general secretary - said, “Workers are still suffering a severe cost-of-living hangover from 14 years of Tory government. This would be the worst possible time for BP to cut benefits and impose a stealth pay reduction.

“In the future, the Employment Rights Bill will provide important new protections to prevent employers from imposing contractual changes to workers’ pay.”

Source: Personnel Today

(Link and quotes via original reporting)