Meal breaks are unpaid unless the employee's employment contract requires payment. Workplace Safety and Health, 833-579-0927.Labor Commissioner's Office, Wages, breaks, retaliation and labor laws, 833-526-4636. The Employment Standards Act (ESA) mandates that most employees must be granted a 30minute break, or eating period, for every five consecutive hours of work. Under the law all employees can avail one unpaid, uninterrupted 30-minute meal break after every five hours of work. Employers are required to provide at least one 30-minute break for a meal after every five hours that an employee has worked. The Ontario Employment Standards Act (ESA) requires that all employees be granted one 30minute break for every 5 consecutive hours of work. An on-duty meal break is authorized in only very limited circumstances. There are three requirements that must be met for an on-duty meal period to be lawful. Attorney Mohamed Eldessouky is an employment lawyer experienced at litigating common workplace violations that workers face in Ontario, CA.