New breastfeeding rooms for working mothers

Another 400 breastfeeding rooms, or “Care for Mother Huts,” at workplaces and public areas around the city, will be provided by the end of next year, project initiators the Shanghai Trade Union said on Wednesday.

Over the past seven years, more than 3,500 rooms have been established to provide a private space for working mothers.

The trade union will provide 10,000 yuan (US$1,400) to equip each new breastfeeding room with items such as air conditioners, refrigerators, baby bottle sterilizers and furniture.

The rooms are among several projects on which the union will be spending 209 million yuan to benefit 5.3 million workers in the city.

Besides the breastfeeding rooms, 300 outdoor workers’ service stations in banks, telecommunications stores, supermarkets, pharmacies, post offices, restaurants, hotels, subdistrict governments and district trade unions will be updated to provide basic medicine, blood pressure meters, mobile phone chargers and consultation services in employment, psychology and legal issues, the trade union said.

Up to now, there have been 1,200 such service stations around the city with air conditioners, refrigerators, microwave ovens and drinking water.

For working parents unable to look after their children after school and during school holidays, there are currently 93 workplace centers sponsored by the trade union catering for around 10,000 children.

A total of 80 such centers will be opened by the end of next year, with subsidies for each ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 yuan.