The Costa Rica News (TCRN) – According to the National Breastfeeding Committee of the Ministry of Health, constant complaints are received or advice is given because companies hamper time for mothers to take the breastfeeding breaks they are entitled to.
So says Fulvia Elizondo, president of the department, adding that this is a problem because they can feed babies by breastfeeding for at least the first six months.
“Women come to us to learn how to defend their rights because employers do not want to give them time for feeding or time to be able to collect milk. Article 95 and 97 of the Labour Code states that women have an hour of time every day to exercise their right to breastfeed,” said the official.
Another complaint is that companies with more than 30 women do not provide areas where they can breastfeed, as stated in Article 100 of the Labor Code, which states that it must be supplied somewhere, easily and according to safety and hygiene standards.
According to the president, in February 2013, a mother won a case filed against a company because when her son was three years old, her employer wanted to take away the right to breastfeed. They said the baby was too old, but she won it.
Elizondo said that for every baby a woman has, there is a corresponding feeding time, ie, if you have twins, you’re entitled to two hours and so on.
The Ministry of Labor statistics show that in 2013, 66% of the complaints received were for problems with breastfeeding hours or layoffs or dismissals while women were pregnant or shortly after.
The Costa Rica News (TCRN)
San Jose, Costa Rica