For months the unions had been asking in vain to “prepare in time to face the heat emergency in the workplace”. The government has done nothing and yesterday, during a meeting, the Ministry of Labor demonstrated its indolence while companies maintain that there really isn’t an “emergency”.
«The arrival of summer announces itself with the first red-sticker cities and a heat that can kill. To protect workers from extreme temperatures, various regions, from Calabria to Puglia, from Lazio to Basilicata, have banned working during the hottest hours of critical days in the fields or on construction sites. The government also intends to promote a protocol between the ministries of Labor and Health and the social partners that sets guidelines for reducing the risk of workers exposed to high temperatures. But the resumption of the confrontation, which was interrupted last autumn, is off to an uphill start.
“Last year we didn’t succeed, today we have to do it”, urged Minister Marina Calderone when announcing yesterday morning’s meeting, which was attended by Undersecretary Claudio Durigon. Calderone’s appeal clashed with the positions of the parties, which remained unchanged. On the one hand, CGIL, CISL and UIL are asking for a protocol that establishes “indispensable and binding key points” and refers to sector and sector regulations with a model similar to the protocol for Covid. In addition to a decree on social safety nets for the heat, in line with that of last year, but extended to seasonal workers. On the other hand, for the employers “there is no heat emergency”, says the confederal secretary of the CGIL Francesca Re David, explaining that according to the companies the existing legislation would be sufficient. Business associations do not comment. «A year ago the employers’ parties scuttled the proposed protocol, today we have returned to the green light. Our position has not moved an inch”, underlines the confederal secretary of the Uil, Ivana Veronese, defining the meeting as “late”, in the “full heat emergency”.
«The regional ordinances do not cover all sectors, they are certainly important, but we asked for a national protocol and automatic mechanisms», he explains, with the use of redundancy payments being mandatory in certain circumstances.
«If it hurts to work above 35 degrees, you shouldn’t work», summarizes King David.
The risks of working at extreme temperatures are illustrated by the European research project for adaptation to climate change Adaptheat in which the Di Vittorio Foundation participated. In particular, the risk of accidents at work during heat waves increases by 17.4% with exposure to burns, wounds, lacerations, amputations and diseases related to severe temperatures.
«For at least 3 months, in all the tables with the Ministry of Labour, even in the technical ones, Uil has asked to convene the “hot emergency” table. It’s June 20th and high temperatures have already exploded in much of Italy. The ministry has re-proposed last year’s protocol, which the employers did not want and do not want to sign even today. Nothing new then, unfortunately. And instead we, like a year ago, reiterate that the only effective one is a systemic response – attacks the confederal secretary of the Uil, Ivana Veronese –. We must go beyond the logic of sectors,” she continues. We need a common basis which must be clear and cogent; then, categories can sign up to sector-specific protocols to achieve further steps forward. Uil has asked to make the possibility of access to social safety nets structural for the sectors concerned, also for female and seasonal workers, in particular for agriculture”, concludes Veronese.
