For shifts 10 hours or longer, an employee is entitled to two 30-minute breaks. An employee is not entitled to any breaks if their shift is 5 hours or less.Most employees (there are some exemptions) can take one 30minute break for a meal, in their first five hours of work. Laws for minimum wage, overtime, holidays, job-protected leaves, vacations, hours of work, earnings, youth workers and termination. The short answer is no. Alberta's Employment Standards Code (ESC) doesn't require employers to provide non-unionized employees with meal breaks. An employee is entitled to one 30-minute paid or unpaid break after the first 5 hours of work for shifts that are between 5 and 10 hours long. Learn about the key differences between employment law and labour law as pertaining to both employees and employers in Alberta. Employees in Alberta are entitled to rest breaks free from work. Employers must provide at least 30 minutes of break for every 5 hours of work.