Croner CCH WebcentreEmployers must accommodate nursing mothers

Published: 16 May 2003

"Employers refusing to provide facilities for breastfeeding mothers could be breaking the law and find themselves the target of sex discrimination claims, according to the chair of the Equal Opportunities Commission (EOC), Julie Mellor (The Guardian, 16 May).

Ms Mellor cited yesterday a recent employment tribunal ruling that the Royal Air Force (RAF) had directly discriminated against Helen Williams, 31, a former flight lieutenant, when it told her that she had to take "unpaid occupational maternity absence" if she wanted to continue breastfeeding her baby after she was due to return to work...."