ILO mulls lactation stations in public offices

MANILA, Philippines -  The International Labor Organization (ILO) wants lactation stations set up in all public offices nationwide to promote exclusive breastfeeding among women working in government.

Lawrence Jeff Johnson, ILO Philippine country director, stressed the need to reach women workers in government and encourage them to practice exclusive breastfeeding.

He said mechanisms for effective implementation of the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act in the public sector are critical, considering the government employs the most number of workers. 

ILO said the Philippines is among the countries with the shortest maternity leave provision, making workplace support critical to ensure that mothers can continue breastfeeding when they return to work.

Aside from women workers in government, ILO also stressed the need to promote breastfeeding among women in vulnerable employment.

“They (vulnerable workers) are forced to accept or create whatever work is available just to survive. They receive minimal protection, work for long hours even in poor working conditions. Lack of safety nets and social protection compel them to give up breastfeeding for fear of losing their only source of income,” Johnson said.

Based on data from UNICEF, almost 40 percent of the labor force in the country are female. Working mothers spend a majority of their child’s first 1,000 days at work.

UNICEF and the World Health Organization recommended exclusive breastfeeding for babies for the first six months after birth.

However, data showed only one out of three Filipino children are breastfed as recommended.

Work is cited as common reason why mothers stop breastfeeding.

“This is alarming, given that exclusive breastfeeding has the single largest potential impact on preventing child mortality and helping in healthy physical and mental growth,” UNICEF said.

Health experts said breastfeeding is the most nutritious way of feeding a baby, thus working mothers are strongly encouraged to continue breastfeeding their children, even in the workplace.

They said companies that support breastfeeding in workplaces also gain from the program.

“Experiences at the firm level show that those who support exclusive breastfeeding in the workplace have benefited from higher staff continuity and loyalty; lower parental absence; increased level of productivity; higher morale and job satisfaction; improved retention of employees; reduced training budget due to loss of qualified staff; lower healthcare costs; and a more family-friendly image and positive environment,” they said.

The Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act provides the national policy to support breastfeeding in the workplace and mandates that breastfeeding mothers be provided with lactation space, lactation breaks and access to breastfeeding information at work.

With the Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act, a policy environment supporting working mothers in breastfeeding is in place, ILO said.

But ILO said resources and partnerships are still needed to implement and monitor compliance to the law. 

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) recently issued guidelines stipulating clear conditions and requirements for private establishment in applying for exemption from setting up workplace lactation stations.