A meal break is a longer period of uninterrupted rest that allows the employee to eat a meal. Awards, enterprise agreements and other registered agreements provide for paid and unpaid rest breaks and meal breaks, including: the length of the breaks when they need to be taken. Many employers provide employees with a rest or lunch break, whether paid or unpaid. This common practice is not required everywhere, however: The federal wage and hour law, called the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), doesn't require employers to provide meal or rest breaks.
Generally, a meal period is required where employees are not afforded necessary breaks and/or permitted to eat lunch while working. ½ hour, after 5 hours, except when workday will be completed in 6 hours or less and there is mutual employer/employee consent to waive meal period.
