A union is proposing the introduction of a statutory maximum working temperature as part of new measures to deal with extreme weather conditions, reports Breaking News.
Unite is requesting a meeting with Enterprise Minister Peter Burke to discuss its recommendations, which also include the provision of four days’ paid “climate leave” when hazardous travel conditions arise or workers need to address urgent domestic issues caused by extreme weather.
The union is calling for a maximum working temperature to be set based on the nature of the work and the environment in which it is carried out, reports Breaking News.
It has proposed that employers should be required to take steps to reduce high workplace temperatures.
Unite is suggesting an action threshold of 24C, at which point heat management measures must be implemented, and a maximum working temperature of 30C — or 27C for more physically demanding work — beyond which work should cease if conditions cannot be safely controlled through engineering measures, reports Breaking News.
The proposals also recommend that employers be obliged to carry out risk assessments during extreme weather, stop all routine outdoor work during orange weather alerts, and halt all non-essential indoor and outdoor work during red alerts — with workers remaining on full pay during such closures.
Unite’s Irish Secretary, Susan Fitzgerald, said: “Accelerating climate change means that the intensity and frequency of extreme weather events are set to increase.
“Workers must not be made to pay the price – in terms of their safety, health and livelihoods – for a climate crisis not of their making”, reports Breaking News.
To mark international workers’ memorial day on Monday, Unite released the findings of a member survey conducted after Storm Eowyn.
The survey found that 55% of participants did not feel safe travelling to and from work during the storm, reports Breaking News.
Among those required to work outdoors on the day, more than half believed their employer had not taken sufficient steps to ensure their safety.
Of the workers whose employers did not require them to attend work during the storm, nearly a third had to use annual leave, unpaid leave, flexitime, sick leave, or time-off-in-lieu (TOIL) to cover their absence, reports Breaking News.
Unite General Secretary Sharon Graham said: “Our survey exposes that many workers felt unsafe working and travelling during Storm Eowyn, while some employers even attempted to shift the financial cost of closure onto workers by insisting they take a day’s leave.
“On international workers’ memorial day, we are demanding that the government climate-proof health and safety laws to ensure that workers’ lives and incomes are protected during extreme weather,” reports Breaking News.
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