W3AP (Read as Triple W AP) - stands for “Women Workers Welfare Advocacy Program”, a program lodged with the Women Workers Development Division (WWDD) of the Bureau of Workers with Special Concerns (BWSC). All advocacy initiatives pertaining to the Family Welfare Program, the anti-sexual harassment, and other related laws that affect women workers shall be published under this program. This maiden issue focuses on the setting up of the lactation stations as provided for in the newly enacted “Expanded Breastfeeding Promotion Act of 2009”. The contents of this material will be particularly helpful to Human Resource managers, as they will be guided in how to set up or operationalize the provisions of said law.
SETTING UP A WORKPLACE LACTATION STATION :
a guide for employers and family welfare committees
A lactation station is one of the low-cost family-friendly facilities an employer can put up at the workplace for the benefit of employees. Anything a company can do to add benefits to an employee’s working life helps to attract people and retain people. Breastfeeding mothers who wish to continue breastfeeding their children after they resume their work have special needs. A lactation station provides safe and healthful working conditions for women workers taking into account their maternal functions, thus, promoting the constitutional provision of providing facilities and opportunities to enhance their potential in the service of the nation. A recently passed law,
which amended RA 7600 or the “Rooming-in and Breastfeeding Act of 1992,” adopts a national policy to encourage, protect and support the practice of breastfeeding. Specifically, this law requires establishments to set up lactation stations in the workplace and provide compensable time for breastfeeding and lactation periods.
Breastfeeding is nature's way to nourish and protect young infants. The many benefits of exclusive breastfeeding to the child specifically in the first 6 months are irreplaceable. The positive effects for the working breastfeeding mother are equally rewarding.
For the child, exclusive breastfeeding reduces infant deaths caused by common childhood illnesses such as diarrhea and pneumonia as well as hasten recovery during a bout of illness. Breastmilk provides all the energy and nutrients that an infant needs during the first 6 months. For the working breastfeeding mothers, some of the positive effects are the delay in the resumption of normal ovarian cycles and the return of fertility in most women. Breastfeeding mothers lose their weight gained during pregnancy more quickly because they are using more calories to produce milk.
For the establishment, some of the positive effects are:
- Less absenteeism among workers
- High employee productivity
- Greater company loyalty
- High employee morale
- Improved ability to attract and retain valuable employees
- Family-friendly image in the community
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