Business leaders have criticised new government proposals which aim to make it easier for new mothers to breastfeed at work.
The new proposals, which are to be launched in a government white paper, will be tested with a number of businesses who will have to provide a room or closed off area to give women privacy while breastfeeding. They will also be required to be flexible on when new mothers take their breaks and will have to provide a fridge or coolbox to store expressed breast milk.
However the moves have been attacked by the Federation of Small Businesses. Spokesman Stephen Alambritis said that new regulations could prevent firms from growing and lead to fewer jobs being created. He said that businesses were already finding it hard to cope with new employment legislation such as maternity pay and paternity leave and that taken together, they can adversely affect businesses. He said: “At a time when the private sector is expected to pick up the job losses in the public sector, now is not the time to be introducing a raft of employment regulations.”
However the Department of Health has denied that the measures would definitely lead to new legislation which would force employers to comply. A spokesman said: “We wouldn’t require employers – we’d encourage them. The cost is minimal. Employers don’t even need a fridge, it can be a cool box. It also doesn’t need to be a designated room. It could be part of a room screened off, or an unused meeting room.”
