China News Service, November 24. According to the website of the National Health Commission, the National Health Commission and other 15 departments have jointly issued the "Breastfeeding Promotion Action Plan (2021-2025)" (hereinafter referred to as the plan).
The plan pointed out that in order to protect the rights and interests of female employees during breastfeeding, employers must not reduce their wages and benefits, dismiss or terminate their labor (employment) contracts because of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding is of great significance for promoting the growth and development of infants and young children, reducing the risk of maternal and infant diseases, and improving the health of mothers and infants.
In order to implement the "Healthy China 2030" Planning Outline, "Healthy China Action (2019-2030)" and "National Nutrition Plan (2017-2030)", ensure the implementation of optimized childbearing policies, safeguard the rights and interests of mothers and children, and promote breastfeeding, Developed this action plan.
The plan puts forward goals and requirements to meet the people’s growing needs for a better life, to improve the health of mothers and babies, strengthen publicity and education, service supply and policy coordination, safeguard the rights and interests of mothers and babies, and strengthen the breastfeeding support system for the whole society. Improve breastfeeding level.
——By 2025, promote the formation of a breastfeeding promotion working mechanism led by the government, coordinated by departments, and participation by the whole society, and the policy system, service network, and facilities for supporting breastfeeding will be more complete.
The public has various channels for obtaining breastfeeding knowledge, health literacy is significantly improved, breastfeeding guidance services are scientifically standardized, mothers take the initiative in scientific feeding, family members and employers actively support, and breastfeeding rates continue to increase.
——By 2025, the awareness rate of core breastfeeding knowledge of mother-infant families will reach more than 70%; the breastfeeding support rate of mother-infant family members will reach more than 80%; the proportion of medical institutions setting up breastfeeding consultation clinics or maternity nutrition clinics will continue to increase; The allocation rate of maternal and infant facilities in public places has reached over 80%; all employers that should be equipped with maternal and infant facilities have basically built standardized maternal and infant facilities; the rate of exclusive breastfeeding in the country within 6 months has reached over 50%.
The plan also proposes a number of major tasks, including improving policies and systems, focusing on building a breastfeeding support environment; strengthening industry supervision, and effectively cracking down on violations of laws and regulations that endanger breastfeeding.
In terms of improving policies and systems and focusing on building a support environment for breastfeeding, the plan pointed out that the rights and interests of female employees during breastfeeding should be protected.
Employers must earnestly implement relevant regulations on labor protection for female employees, ensure that female employees enjoy maternity leave and maternity incentive leave, and reasonably arrange breastfeeding time for female employees during lactation.
Encourage places where conditions permit to carry out trials of parental leave, reasonably determine parental leave treatment, and improve the holiday labor cost-sharing mechanism.
In addition, employers are not allowed to extend the working hours of breastfeeding female employees or arrange night shifts. For female employees who are breastfeeding infants under one year old, the employer shall arrange for one hour of breastfeeding time during the daily working hours; female employees have multiple births. For fetuses, one additional hour of breastfeeding time per day will be added for every additional breastfed baby, and breastfeeding time shall be regarded as providing normal labor.
At the same time, employers are not allowed to lower their wages and benefits, dismiss or terminate labor (employment) contracts for female employees due to breastfeeding.
Employers shall ensure the safety and sanitation of the workplace, and avoid female employees who are breastfeeding from engaging in toxic, harmful and radioactive work that is taboo during breastfeeding.
The plan also pointed out that it is necessary to encourage flexible working hours and working methods.
Employers should take a variety of measures to provide convenience for female employees during lactation in light of actual production and work.
For female employees who have taken maternity leave and voluntarily apply for early return to work, the employer may negotiate with the employees and adopt various flexible methods such as working half a day or working the next day to accumulate the untaken maternity incentive leave.
The breastfeeding time of female employees during breastfeeding period can be negotiated by the employer and the employees, and arranged through flexible methods such as shortening the daily working hours, using it in stages during working hours, and adopting flexible commuting.
Qualified employers can take into account the actual situation of the job position and adopt remote working methods such as home office for eligible breastfeeding female employees to solve their breastfeeding difficulties.
In terms of strengthening industry supervision and effectively cracking down on violations of laws and regulations that endanger breastfeeding, the plan is clear, law enforcement and supervision shall be strengthened, and daily inspections of infant formula packaging, labels and instructions shall be strengthened in accordance with the provisions of the Food Safety Law and relevant national food safety standards. , Supervise and urge production enterprises to mark according to law.
Regarding false advertising, fraud and misleading consumption, infringement of consumer rights, and disrupting the order of fair competition in the field of breast-milk substitutes, market supervision departments should increase law enforcement and regulations in accordance with the Advertising Law, Anti-Unfair Competition Law and other laws and regulations. The crackdown will effectively guarantee a civilized and honest market order.