Keep your family safe from germs and bacteria
Breastfeeding at work
EU guidelines mean that your employer must make provisions at work if you want to breastfeed. Working Families explains
All employers have a legal duty to make provisions for breastfeeding mothers:
- rest facilities
- protection from health and safety risks. This could include being expected to work hours which affect breastfeeding.
If you need to work different hours due to childcare responsibilities or you want to continue breastfeeding, your employer has a duty to consider your request seriously. If your employer refuses your request without a good business reason, you may have a claim for indirect sex discrimination and should seek further advice.
An employer must provide adequate rest, meal and refreshment breaks for women who have given birth in the last six months and women who are breastfeeding
Employers are obliged by law to provide 'suitable facilities' for a breastfeeding mother to 'rest'. Recent guidelines from the European Commission recommend that rest facilities should include access to a private room, provision of a clean fridge to store milk, and time off to express milk or to breastfeed.
These guidelines don't have statutory force but should persuade, or at the very least encourage, employers and Employment Tribunals to apply the law in a way that supports breastfeeding at work.
You must notify your employer in writing that you intend to breastfeed at work so that an assessment can be carried out to determine if your working conditions pose a risk to your health or that of your baby.
Scientific evidence shows that a baby's health can suffer if it is not breastfed. If your working conditions stop you from breastfeeding, your employer should take steps to accommodate your needs by temporarily changing your working conditions or hours of work.
For more information on combining breastfeeding and work, see the Working Families website or call our helpline on 0800 013 0313
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