Newsroom
Parliament has unanimously passed a law requiring all workplaces, both public and private, as well as public spaces, to provide designated breastfeeding rooms or spaces for expressing and storing breast milk.
The bill obligates employers and managers of public venues to create permanent or temporary breastfeeding rooms and mandates that employees be informed of their location upon hiring or return from maternity leave. The rooms must remain available as long as the mother continues breastfeeding.
Deputy Health Committee Chairwoman and DISY MP Savvia Orphanidou praised the legislation, calling it overdue and emphasizing the importance of supporting mothers and children with safe, hygienic facilities. She also noted ongoing efforts to extend maternity leave to 26 weeks for all children.
AKEL MP Marina Nikolaou highlighted the bill as a key step after previous delays and reassured that mothers’ rights to breastfeed publicly remain unaffected.
DIKO MP Chrysanthos Savvidis welcomed the one-year implementation period, allowing time for workplaces to comply.
The Ministry of Health will oversee inspections, alongside the Ministry of Labor, and penalties for noncompliance align with existing maternity protection laws. The law will take effect 12 months after its official publication to allow for regulation development.
