BP is to scrap paid rest breaks and most bank holiday bonuses for 5,400 workers at its 310 company-run petrol forecourts, in a move to offset a planned increase in the Living Wage Foundation's 'real living wage'. The changes, which take effect in February, will see hourly pay rise from £12.60 to £13.45 – a 6.7% increase in line with the scheme – but workers say the benefit cuts will reduce take-home pay by at least 6.25%, largely wiping out the gain.
Currently, most BP workers receive 1.5 times their usual hourly rate for bank holiday work and are paid for a 20-minute break on shifts of four to six hours, or a 30-minute break on longer shifts. Under the new regime, Guardian calculations show that someone working an eight-hour shift including a 30-minute break would earn £100.87, compared with £100.80 now – a negligible increase.
One source expressed annoyance, claiming BP was 'framing the announced increase to the real living wage ... as a new benefit they are going to offer instead [of paid breaks and bank holiday premiums], when in reality they were committed to implementing this increase as they have done every year since they signed up in 2020'. The source suggested the benefits were written into contracts, and workers could be 'encouraged to agree to the changes without fully understanding their rights to disagree'.
Under UK employment law, workers are entitled to a 20-minute unpaid rest break if they work more than six hours. Many retailers, including Asda, Morrisons and Sainsbury's, have cut paid breaks in recent years to offset rising labour costs. BP said it regularly reviews pay and benefits to stay competitive, and will bring the pay rise forward by two months to February 2026 to support colleagues.
TUC general secretary Paul Nowak 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.' He added that the upcoming employment rights bill would provide new protections against such contractual changes.
