Marks & Spencer cafe: breast-feeding mother asked to leave & feed baby in toilets:OK?

bod1467

Doc_N wrote: »

He's just trolling, hoping for comments to feed on. Breast ignore him.

I think that would be a more apt reply.

POPPYOSCAR

Only yesterday a young mum was sitting in the cafe in Waitrose quietly breastfeeding her baby next to us.

We both thought it was rather lovely.

Morglin

To be honest, I don't actually want to have to be in view of anyone breast feeding, so if someone was doing that, I would just sit elsewhere.

It's probably my age lol - I was born of a generation that fed babies indoors, or somewhere discreet, and good luck to the new system, but I'd sit or go elsewhere - no fuss made though.

Everyone has different views, but none should be forced on anyone else.

Lin

sweetstudent

Doc_N wrote: »

Witnessed by my wife just the other day.

A poor young mother, having to breast feed her baby in the toilets because the staff in the M&S cafe had asked her to leave and use the toilets instead. And, she said, it was the second time it had happened.

Nothing outrageous, just a perfectly nice, normal woman wanting to feed her baby discreetly in the shop that she bought her clothes from - and the baby's.

No wonder M&S are losing their trade if they manage to alienate what few younger customers they still have left. Can you imagine this happening in Waitrose?

Is this not illegal? I am not a woman - I cannot understand how people cant be offended by a women breast feeding her child. I could understand if the breast was whipped out. But according to the OP the women in question was discrete

When I have children and if my wife I asked to re-locate to the loo, I would go stark raving made at whoever made the request and ask them if they would eat their food in a loo....

mumps

Bantex wrote: »

I would rather not have to see, hear, smell any of them whilst having my lunch.

Might be a good idea to eat at home, you will be in charge then but in a public place you have to put up with........... the public.

tamiami

So it's ok for M&S to have staff refuse to sell alcohol due to their religious beliefs (as made the headlines at Christmas) but its not ok to allow a mother to breastfeed!! They need to get their priorities right.

tomtontom

Morglin wrote: »

To be honest, I don't actually want to have to be in view of anyone breast feeding, so if someone was doing that, I would just sit elsewhere.

It's probably my age lol - I was born of a generation that fed babies indoors, or somewhere discreet, and good luck to the new system, but I'd sit or go elsewhere - no fuss made though.

Everyone has different views, but none should be forced on anyone else.

Lin

I'd love to know which generation you are - my grandma openly breast fed all her seven children.

Doc_N

sweetstudent wrote: »

Is this not illegal? I am not a woman - I cannot understand how people cant be offended by a women breast feeding her child. I could understand if the breast was whipped out. But according to the OP the women in question was discrete

When I have children and if my wife I asked to re-locate to the loo, I would go stark raving made at whoever made the request and ask them if they would eat their food in a loo....

Yes, it is illegal, under the Equality Act 2010, and M&S have a duty to ensure that their employees are not in breach of the law. The number of cases apparently cropping up in M&S cafe/restaurants suggests that they're not taking that responsibility very seriously:



A business cannot discriminate against mothers who are breastfeeding a child of any age.


[FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light]The Equality Act 2010 has specifically clarified that it is unlawful for a business to discriminate against a woman because she is breastfeeding a child.

A business may ask a breastfeeding woman to leave their premises if the reason for this request is not due to her breastfeeding. However, if the woman later claims that discrimination occurred because she was breastfeeding, the business will have to prove that there was in fact no discrimination.

[/FONT]
[/FONT][FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]DO [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light]make sure women you’re providing services to are allowed to breastfeed on your premises if they want to. [/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]DO [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light]also ensure that mothers breastfeeding babies are not discriminated against, no matter how old the baby is. [/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]DO [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light]train all your employees, especially those who deal with the public, to be aware of the protection from discrimination given to breastfeeding mothers under the Equality Act 2010. [/FONT][/FONT] [FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]
[/FONT][/FONT]
[FONT=GillSans,GillSans][FONT=GillSans,GillSans]DON’T [/FONT][/FONT][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light][FONT=GillSans Light,GillSans Light]forget, under the Equality Act 2010, discriminating against someone because they are with a breastfeeding mother is also prohibited, so companions of breastfeeding mothers who are also treated unfairly may have a claim, too. [/FONT][/FONT]

Indie_Kid

Am I the only one who finds it's not obvious if a baby is being breastfed? Until the baby burps, that is...

Doc_N

Indie_Kid wrote: »

Am I the only one who finds it's not obvious if a baby is being breastfed? Until the baby burps, that is...

Precisely! You'd normally have to have eyes like a hawk to spot a breastfeeding baby - which is what makes this whole thing so ludicrous.