September 30, 2010
As local authorities begin forcing smokers to clock off before taking their daily breaks, campaigners feel workplaces are slowly being filtered to exclude those who spark-up.
Earlier this month, Breckland Council, based in Dereham, Norfolk, became the latest local authority to consider making workers clock off while they take a cigarette break. As a result, Breckland staff will not be paid in future for the time they take to have a cigarette if the proposals are given the go-ahead.
But, campaign group Forest, which supports people's right to smoke, said more and more employers were making life unreasonably difficult for smokers.
"Breckland are the latest council to consider - or impose - this clocking off and back on policy. Some have even gone further by imposing smoking bans." said Mr Clark, Director of Forest.
"We don't have figures but there are quite a few which either having some sort of 'clocking off' policy or a complete no-smoking policy.
"Our concern is that soon smokers will be losing out on jobs because their lives at work will be so complicated that employers will decide it's too much trouble to employ them."
Breckland are not the first local authority to enforce time constraints on smokers. In 2005 Nottingham City Council introduced a ban on smokers taking breaks during working hours.
The following year, West Lancashire District Council approved a complete ban on smoking outside council premises, while staff at Basildon Council must make up the time taken for smoke breaks.
However, under current law, smokers are not entitled to any breaks for cigarettes during the working day. Any break provisions for smoking are at an employer’s sole discretion.
