Breastfeeding and the Law at Work
Unlike other European countries, the law in United Kingdom does not offer paid breastfeeding breaks or shorter working hours for breastfeeding mothers but some legal protection is offered in the UK for all breastfeeding mothers.
This broadly includes:
Flexible working conditions
Facilities for rest
Protection from harmful substances while at work
Your rights (as a breastfeeding mother) as set out in the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1992 and the Employment Rights Act 1996 include:
If there is a risk to your health and safety or that of your child from your working conditions, your employer must do all that is reasonable to remove the risk. This may include changing your working conditions temporarily
If the identified risk above cannot be avoided, your employer must offer you suitable alternative work, on terms and conditions which are not substantially less favourable than your original job
If no alternative work is available, your employer must suspend you on full pay
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