Time for expressing -- it's unpaid, right?

[zebra]

If I am booked in to be at my desk 5 hours, but take two 20 minute breaks to express milk for the baby, these are unpaid breaks, right? So my 5 hour booking is really just 4 hrs+20 minutes of work time? Presumably my employer isn't obliged to give me a tea-break during that 5-hour block, either?
TIA.

Hi Zebra - my understanding is that you are not entitled to any EXTRA time off for expressing - you have to just use any existing breaks you are entitled to. I don't know how that works over a 5 hour shift. I worked 9-5.30 and was entitled to a one hour lunchbreak, so I used to split that into two half hour sessions for expressing in the morning and afternoon (and then I ate lunch at my desk). But to be honest my employer is pretty relaxed about this kind of thing, and during the months I was expressing I didn't have much work on, so it was all very easy.

The best source of information on this stuff is The Maternity Alliance .

It's such a shame the UK doesn't do better than this. In other countries breastfeeding mums are legally entitled to expressing time after they return to work.

I looked on the Mat'y Alliance website but I couldn't find any info explicitly about this. On babycentre.co.uk or something like that they said that it was unpaid time. No one else is as explicit, but I just wanted to make sure & reckoned you ladies would know.

Because in a 5 hour block I wouldn't normally be "entitled" to even a tea break, right? So really, I have to do all the expressing on my own time... I think? Or can I go with what the convention seems to be at my workplace -- most people fit a tea/coffee break in morning or pm, in addition to their lunch hour... so maybe if it's the usual practice where I work, I can count one expressing session as paid time, in lieu of the usual coffee break????

Hmmm have looked on the maternity alliance site myself and now can't find the info I was talking about. I know I ordered some booklets from them when I was expressing, so maybe it's in there.

Anyway, my view is that if it's normal practice to take a tea/ coffee break then you should be able to use that time to express.

To be honest it's a disgrace that the European Commission Guidelines don't have any legal weight behind them in this country. Most employers will be reasonable about this - if you wave the guidelines at them (I think you already found some details at babycentre ) most employers would probably agree to go along with it.

My experience is that my employers were so embarrassed at any mention of breastmilk or expressing that they jumped to accommodate my needs so I would shut up! I work in a very very male dominated environment. I was given access to a first aid room to express, and no-one ever questioned my expressing breaks.

Thanks 4 replies, Pidge. I cant wait 2 make my male colleagues sqirm, least they deserve given they r insisting they dont want me 2 work from home, any more.

zebra - can they really insist you can't work from home ? They have an obligation to mothers of children under 5 to consider flexible working - which includes working from home. And there are precedents in the same department for home working.

I have just recently gone back to work and i am allowed to express whenever i need to and my office has to provide a place for me to store it.i.e a fridge If you have to be at your desk for 5hrs then express at your desk with one hand and do your work with the other. that will make them sit up

I'd love to, Shalom, but we're talking an open-plan office with 30 other people in it, mostly ambitious students and post-docs who are too busy establising careers to counenance things like parenthood...

It's my own fault for letting my brain go doolally preggo mush the last 1.5 yrs, T'holt. DH negotiated for me to do 1/3 of my hours at home, at least. Email me if you know a decent expressing location for me??!!

does anyone pop out of the office for a fag in their 5 hour stint????

See- if you smoked you'd be allowed a break...

The UK is so far behind on these things- the only thing your work HAVE to provide for you is a room to express in- (the usual safe working environment as well).

Presumably work don't want you off sick with mastitis though do they- may be in their interest to give you time to express

Zebra - I dug out my maternity alliance booklet (ordered Spring 2003, copyright 1997, so may have been updated, but this should be the minimum required). It says the following:

"In many other European countries breastfeeding mothers have the statutory right to paid breastfeeding breaks or a shorter working day. This is not yet the case in the UK, but breastfeeding mothers here do have certain legal protection under the health and safety laws".

It also says the following: ".. if your employee's working conditions stop her from breastfeeding successfully, they are putting the baby's health at risk (as well as the mother's). This remains true until the baby is at least 12 months old."

It advises employers that "You should make reasonable adjustments to her job, e.g. breastfeeding / expressing breaks or a shorter working day".

Interestingly if you are a public sector employee it implies that there is additional legal protection.

CAT me if you want any more info - hope this helps!