LAWN. Redundancy pay when it’s too hot and a “cooling break” like in football matches when you work and need to replenish mineral salts. These are Filca Cisl’s proposals for construction workers in the hottest season.
“Construction workers are among the categories most at risk of heat stroke because they are exposed to high temperatures for many hours of the day – explains Stefano Tesi, Filca manager for the Prato area – It is now common practice for companies to resort to redundancy payments for rain, but for heat it is not used frequently. With circulars 139/2016 and 1856/2018, INPS clarified that “companies will be able to request recognition of the redundancy payment when the thermometer exceeds 35 degrees centigrade. For the purposes of wage integration, however, “perceived” temperatures can also be considered suitable”.
In addition to this, according to Filca, it would be appropriate to consider, when possible, bringing forward working hours to ensure that workers can work in the morning when temperatures are lower and finish when temperatures become prohibitive. In addition, in cases where temperatures do not reach the degrees expected to interrupt activity, companies could evaluate the introduction of a “cooling break”, a short break to allow workers to replenish mineral salts and fresh water at the inside suitable refrigerated places.
«Ensuring the health and safety of workers engaged in construction is a priority for Filca also in consideration of the increase in the average age of workers in the sector, increasingly over 50, for whom it is also necessary to review the issue of access to pension” explains the union again.
The first quarter of 2024 saw the positive trend of the construction sector in the province of Prato confirmed: the wage bill, i.e. the turnover volume, increased by 5.76% compared to last year. Registered companies are also growing, with an increase of 2.40%, as are active workers, who are growing by 4.99%.
In 2023, the construction sector benefited from sector growth of 5% thanks to investments in housing qualification and driven by tax incentives and various bonuses.
The first four months of 2024 were positively affected by the positive wave of 2023, but for the rest of 2024 we can expect a contraction in the housing sector which will certainly be affected by the end of the benefits obtained with the various bonuses and super bonuses. Instead, we expect an increase in employees in the public works sector in the province thanks to the expansion of the hospital, the doubling of the Declassata and the works for the construction of the third lane on the A11.
