Vice President of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) Youth Arm, Blair Rose (Photo contributed)

By Kenicia Francis

A call for employers to better accommodate working mothers has been issued by Blair Rose, Vice President of the Antigua and Barbuda Workers Union (ABWU) Youth Arm.

“You’re punished when you become a mother because you’re now seen as less efficient in the workplace,” Rose stated during an interview on The Workers’ Podcast.

She believes that due to the inability to perform crucial care for infants because of disadvantages in the workplace, women are forced to choose between embracing motherhood or maintaining a successful career.

For example, she said most workplaces in the country don’t have any place for mothers to express milk in between feedings.

Rose added that such accommodations were unlikely to produce significant disruptions to normal work activities.

“We’re not asking for the world … just for the necessary time and the understanding,” Rose said.

She suggested that creating a designated space may only require a curtain and a small private area.

Meanwhile, Dr Gail-Ann Fortune, a local Consultant Intensivist at the Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre, described what happens when women aren’t able to express milk.

“I have seen several women that ended up having infections because they weren’t able to express. I’m talking about fever; they start to become tachycardic [fast heartbeat],” she said.

Dr Fortune added that the private area should also have hand sanitiser, wipes, a garbage bin and a reclining chair that should be sanitised regularly.

According to Rose, companies in the US and the UK have made significant progress on this issue.

Some companies also provide water and a snack room in addition to a comfortable space and an allotment of time.

“Some workplaces are even going as far as adding daycares so mothers can be comfortable with their children,” Rose shared.

In the meantime, she is encouraging female workers everywhere to amplify their voices on the issues that affect them and to join UNI Global’s “3 Ms” campaign — which highlights the impact of menstruation, maternity and menopause on working women.

UNI Global is a global union federation for the skills and services sectors, with affiliated unions in 150 countries.

In a recent press release, the ABWU stated that it is now committed to working with employers to develop a policy where mothers will be provided breaks and a safe, private room for breastfeeding or expressing milk.