PHM-Exch> WABA International Labour Day Statement 2021

Sat May 1 09:17:34 PDT 2021

From: World Alliance for Breastfeeding Action (WABA) <waba at waba.org.my>

Happy International Labour Day 2021 from WABA!
View this email in your browser
<https://mailchi.mp/waba.org.my/waba-international-labour-day-statement-2021?e=858833e631>

*International Labour Day Statement*
1 May 2021
Supporting breastfeeding families in the workforce

The situation for new parents who are still learning and adapting to
accommodate the needs of their newborns including breastfeeding is very
challenging with the added fear of protecting their babies from COVID-19
infection. Gender inequality, with women already performing three times
more unpaid care work
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=3769061fc2&e=858833e631>
in addition to their paid work than men, has exacerbated during COVID-19
and impacted on the work-life balance. There is an urgent need to establish
and expand parental social protection to support breastfeeding,
redistribute the unpaid care work between parents and contribute to greater
gender equality.

Physical distancing and movement restrictions have helped to control the
spread of the virus. Employees are required to work from home and those
unable to work for home could be given leave. Telework is an opportunity
for some families with newborns to have time and support to breastfeed on
demand while still participating in paid work. At the same time, workers on
the frontline face increased workload and health risks and challenges in
carrying out their parental responsibilities including child care and
breastfeeding.

Going back to work is often cited as the number one reason for cessation of
breastfeeding due to inadequate time, space, and support. It is concerning
that over 800 million women workers
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=9a92f87aab&e=858833e631>
are currently not supported by public paid maternity and parental social
protection. This figure does not even include women working in the informal
economy that accounts for over 60 percent of the global workforce
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=1bf2b4bab4&e=858833e631>.
Workers need maternity and parental protection to ensure they can perform
their parental duties including breastfeeding and also to avoid
discrimination against them at the workplace.

National policies and programmes should emphasise the need for workers
working in both the formal and informal sectors to have access to paid
maternity, paternity and parental leave as per ILO recommendations
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=bb030042d0&e=858833e631>.
Workers should be provided a minimum of 18 weeks and preferably up to six
months of paid maternity leave. Only 39 countries
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=d6d8a4f062&e=858833e631>
have ratified the ILO Maternity Protection Convention, 2000 (No. 183) and
as of 2016 only 42
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=a6c5313a98&e=858833e631>
percent of countries out of 184 with available data met the minimum
standards set out in the ILO Maternity Protection Convention No. 183. The
availability of parental social protection differs in each country
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=54d8a6dc32&e=858833e631>
and
gives way to inequalities among parents. The private sector can sometimes
go beyond the nationally mandated in providing social protection for its
employees. Work policies should also ensure that parental and paternity
leave
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=84e0d23d69&e=858833e631>
does not compromise existing maternity leave benefits. These policies
should enable fathers/partners to prioritise family-related
responsibilities and work with their partners to shape a parenting and
breastfeeding
team
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=c10c085d34&e=858833e631>,
while meeting work demands.

Social dialogue including collective bargaining by the tripartite composed
of trade unions, employers and government need to demand for public-funded
paid leave policies, parent-friendly workplace policies, breastfeeding
space/breastmilk expressing facilities, paid breastfeeding breaks and
flexible working arrangements to support breastfeeding. Improving the
coverage and quality of worksite-based breastfeeding support provisions
including lactation rooms and breaks during the workday are also essential.
Trade unions should ensure that the informal sector workers are represented
during policy discussions on social protection.

In times of pandemics and health emergencies such as COVID-19, employers
need to provide targeted support and interventions
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=4aa9317ca3&e=858833e631>
to accommodate the varying needs of breastfeeding parents. The whole of
society not only needs to react urgently to the currents issues affecting
working parents but also preempt solutions to possible future issues that
may arise from both the pandemic and the changing norms of work life such
as teleworking and digitalisation.

WABA’s Empowering Parents Campaign
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=b79ff0e610&e=858833e631>
promotes social protection that will facilitate the integration of parents’
productive and reproductive work in both formal and informal settings. This
will ensure breastfeeding parents rights to parental social protection
legislation, supportive workplace policies and positive attitudinal change.
Supporting breastfeeding is essential in achieving the Sustainable
Development Goals
<https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=cda11ff175&e=858833e631>.
This labour day, WABA calls upon governments, employers, trade unions,
civil society organisations and communities to protect and  support
breastfeeding families in the workforce by:

   -

   working with governments and employers to review and improve national
   laws
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=aa60d47829&e=858833e631>
   that cover maternity and parental social protection for all workers
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=a8c7cd3070&e=858833e631>
   .
   -

   implementing maternity and parental social protection legislation
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=39a3cbd09b&e=858833e631>
   and workplace breastfeeding support in both the formal and informal work
   sectors
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=8a015c32d3&e=858833e631>
   .
   -

   engaging with various stakeholders
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=0d08e8f865&e=858833e631>on
   implementing breastfeeding friendly workplaces
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=55685eb3fa&e=858833e631>that
   provide workplace support
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=efe0c91e5c&e=858833e631>
   such as breastfeeding facilities, paid breastfeeding breaks, and flexible
   working arrangements.
   -

   advocating for public funded paid
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=7323160e54&e=858833e631>
parental
   leave
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=e7f973818d&e=858833e631>
   that enables exclusive breastfeeding and that promotes involvement of
   fathers/partners
   <https://waba.us8.list-manage.com/track/click?u=9c4737de875c6fa12b87991e8&id=0ce13d1d44&e=858833e631>
   in childcare and domestic work.
   -

   developing, implementing and monitoring relevant policies to include
   informal workers in maternity and social protection arrangements.

   For more information, contact:
   Thinagaran Letchimanan, thina at waba.org.my
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