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13/08/2008
Breastfeeding recommendations spark employment law debate |
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As the government announced that £2 million will be invested to encourage breastfeeding, debate about how employers support new mothers has been reignited, workplacelaw.net reported.
According to the Department of Health (DH), the baby should be breastfed for the first six months of its life, yet returning to work is claimed by women to be the number one reason for stopping.
The Rights Advisor for charity Working Families said: "Often when a woman goes back to work, she does begin to stop breastfeeding; partly for convenience and partly due to the age the child is likely to be when she returns to work.
“There are a range of responses from employers [about how to treat breastfeeding mothers], and some are completely over-the-top."
Whilst no specific laws exist that are directly related to breastfeeding mothers, there are a number of laws which are designed to protect against discrimination in the workplace.
Workplacelaw.net quote the Sex Discrimination Act 1975, the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, the Workplace (Health, Safety and Welfare) Regulations 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996. |
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