By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS 

Tribune Staff Reporter 

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

THE Bahamas National Breastfeeding Association (BNBA) wants maternity leave to be extended, emphasising the need to support breastfeeding, improve maternal health, and align with international labour standards.

Currently, maternity leave in The Bahamas provides 12 weeks, with at least one-third of this time paid by employers. However, BNBA president Trineka McCardy insisted yesterday that this is insufficient, pointing to the country’s low exclusive breastfeeding rate of 22 percent, far below the World Health Organisation’s 60 percent target.  

“After we did a survey, sometime back in 2020, we realised why women are not exclusively breastfeeding in our country,” she said. “We realised that most of the women, 80 percent of the women, are saying that they have to go back to work. That’s why they are giving the babies formula as well, and they need to make sure that their baby is sorted out, and that’s why they are not exclusively breastfeeding.”

The review of maternity benefits could bring The Bahamas closer to international labour standards while addressing public health priorities such as exclusive breastfeeding.

The BNBA is advocating for 20 weeks of maternity leave but is open to a compromise of 16 weeks.

“Our recommendation is 20 weeks; that’s what we want,” Ms McCardy said. “We wanted 20 weeks to help out our mothers so that they can have more time to breastfeed their babies, but it has been said to me that we may have to make a compromise. Because of the labour laws or the standard, which is 16 on the book, they are saying that may be a better yardstick for us to work with instead of the 20 weeks we want.”

Workplace conditions also remain a concern for breastfeeding mothers. Ms McCardy described challenges faced by women who need to pump breastmilk at work. 

“A lot of these companies want women to go in the bathroom to pump their milk,” she said. “How can you go in the bathroom to pump your milk? That is not viable. Do you eat in the toilet? We don’t go in the bathroom to eat, so why should she go in there to pump her baby’s milk? That is not ethical, that is not proper.”  

Yolantha Ward-Yallop, secretary of the National Tripartite Council said yesterday that the Department of Labour is trying to incorporate enhanced maternity benefits into legislation and is considering stakeholder input and international best practices. 

She noted that Labour Minister Pia Glover-Rolle had initiated discussions with stakeholders during a Labour Symposium held in June, emphasising that the current review builds on previous discussions but moves towards concrete legislative action. 

“It’s beyond a discussion,” she said. “Labour is trying to incorporate enhanced maternity benefits into legislation.”

“As a council, we have had the privilege to discuss maternity benefits, especially breastfeeding initiatives, with the Bahamas Breastfeeding Association, who have continued to advocate. Unions have also advocated for better maternity and paternity terms in their agreements and the International Labour Organisation encourages its member states in best labour standards as well.” 

In addition to maternity leave, discussions include paternity leave and shared parental leave. However, Mrs Ward-Yallop noted: “Paternity leave is also a part of the discussions, but the extent of it and maternity leave I cannot give a definite parameter for at this time.”  

When asked about a timeline for a decision, Mrs Ward-Yallop said: “This process is presently ongoing, and I am not in a position to provide a timeline.”