>  At our first committee meeting one issue that came up is: how does a
>company justify a benefit that isn't applicable to all employees (ie, the
>men in this case)...


This seems to me an extraordinary argument....there must be dozens of
ways an employer responds to employees' particular needs without it
causing resentment.

Do they, for instance, have a ramp or special access doors for people
in wheelchairs? If someone needs to use up all their sickness
allocation, is this resented by the employees who are lucky enough to
be healthy and not take time off work?  Or if there's a carpark for
employees who need it, do the non-car owners, bus-riders or
pedestrians resent it and want compensation? What about uniforms? Do
the size 8 employees resent the extra fabric in the uniforms of the
size 22s? Hey, some people take sugar in their workplace coffee -
what about the non-sugar takers....they're missing out!

Anyway, making it possible for an employed mother to preserve her bf
relationship isn't a benefit - it's a social and health duty on the
part of the employer, just as he has to protect the workers from
workplace contamination, or ensures the fire safety regs are adhered
to, or makes sure the temperature is cool/warm enough to work in....

Having said that, the only real way to have breastfeeding protected
is by legislation IMHO. We have some limited health and safety
protection for it in the UK, but it doesn't go nearly far enough.

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc Newcastle upon Tyne UK

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