Under Section 9 of the Maternity Protection (Amendment) Act 2004 women in employment who are breastfeeding are entitled to take time off work each day to breastfeed.
The provision applies to all women in employment who have given birth within the previous 6 months.
Employers are not obliged to provide facilities in the workplace to facilitate breastfeeding if the provision of such facilities would give rise to considerable costs.
Julia Fox says breastfeeding is proven to be beneficial until the child is at least two and therefore employers should agree to continue to supply the hour breaks and the facilities for that length of time.
However, Lisa Holt says that while she has sympathy for the breastfeeding argument, extending the law for up to two years could be devastating for a small employer.
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