Extra break for mothers: New amendment to the Labour Code

Article 258 of the Labour Code defines additional breaks for breastfeeding women. In particular, paragraph 5 of the article stipulates that a woman with a child under one and a half years of age who is breastfeeding is entitled to an additional break of not less than half an hour every three hours, in addition to lunch and rest breaks provided for everyone else.

However, this provision of the article is significantly amended and will come into force on the 31st of July. Specifically, these breaks will now apply to women with children up to 2 years old. This means that not only will the period be extended, but the condition of breastfeeding will also be removed.

The amendment allows for these breaks to be added to their lunch and rest breaks or provided at the beginning or end of the working day upon the woman’s request. The length of their working day would then be shortened correspondingly. For example, women with a child up to two years old have the right to work one hour less during an eight-hour workday. They can arrive late, leave early, or take a one-hour break during the day.

For your reminder, “Point 33” organisation presented the need for this legislative reform to the Government and the National Assembly back in 2021, referring to it in the report “Legal guarantees and support programs for women in the early period of Motherhood”, which was carried out with cooperation with the Fridrich Ebert Foundation.