Record Caldo, a stage in Genoa at the construction sites in the afternoon. But it is chaos on layoffs
Genoa. Stop at the construction sites in the afternoonat least for those activities they foresee working under the scorching sun, for example streets and facades of buildings. But also breaks during the day, distribution of fresh water and mineral salts, increased meal vouchers to buy drinks. On the day the red dot of the Ministry of Health due to heat wave, the first measures of the companies arrived in Genoa and its surroundings. Than to keep moving in no particular order.
In the construction site of the Seafrontone of the largest in the city, the construction management at the head of the CDS has decided to start the first shifts this morning at 5.00 to send the workers home by 14.00. Mom around however, at four o’clock there were some workers at work outdoors, from what appears the workers of the subcontracted companies who have decided to act differently. Different speech for the teams engaged in the shade inside the Palasport or aboard machinery equipped with air conditioning. Tomorrow the organization will be the same.
But on the trade union front the battle is to get theactivation of the redundancy fund for atmospheric events, along the lines of what happens in red alert. The basis for invoking it is an INPS message dated May 3, 2017 which reads: “Le exceptionally high temperature (above 35 degrees)that prevent the carrying out of work phases in places that cannot be protected from the sun or that involve the use of materials or the carrying out of work that cannot withstand the strong heat, they can create event that can dare to qualify for layoffs“. The document also speaks of “perceived temperatures, which can also be obtained from weather reports, when they are higher than the real temperature”.
However, chaos reigns on the subject. Yesterday there Phyllea CGIL issued a leaflet to communicate that “workers who carry out work exposed to the sun (road works, façades and roofs, can interrupt work at 12.00 and for the following hours they will be covered by layoffs”. This is confirmed by the secretary general Ligurian Federico Pezzoli: “For the first time we were able to pass the concept that workers are not slaughterhouse fodder. It is a tool that has always existed, even if we have never used it. Safety goes hand in hand with health: for a heatstroke the risk of taking a facade on the ground is just around the corner “.
And in fact it transpires that the Cosme, one of the largest construction companies active in Genoa, will ask for layoffs for workers who stopped today due to the heat. But according to the Ligurian secretary of the Filca Cisl, Andrea Tafariathe question is not so simple: “The legislation provides that there is one specific Arpal declaration certifying the temperature is above 35 degrees. The company must therefore be that there is no possibility of employing workers in places sheltered from the sun: in this case, layoffs are provided for by INPS. There is no automatism, and perhaps that would be the case with rules, and perhaps simpler and more streamlined ”.
The president of is also skeptical Reeds Genoa, Giulio Musso: “The INPS circular provides for the granting of layoffs but under certain conditions. It is a question of applying the provisions of the circular according to the work to be carried out and the environmental conditions in which it must be carried out. It also depends on the type of work and if there are no alternative activities within the construction site. For example, it is applied in road construction sites where all processes are exposed to the sun and high temperatures. I believe that the Arpal document is still necessary ”.
From the Genoese headquarters of the INPS they confirm that the redundancy fund for heat is required by law and that the threshold of 35 degrees must be reported as declared by an Arpal body (today in Genoa they were actually exceeded at 16.30). However, no reference is made to a specific certificate issued to the company. Applications can be submitted by companies by the end of next month. The possible acceptance or not, therefore, is not immediate and that is why many companies prefer to act with caution, rather by adjusting the schedules and shifts, but avoiding the road of social safety nets.
“Our operators are engaged throughout the region – he continues Tafaria – are to verify that on construction sites there is no risk for the builders. We are experiencing some difficulties in activating the ordinary layoffs, also due to the amount of work. Perhaps it could be put on the field again commission, made up of INPS, employers and trade unionsthat in Genoa he had the task of examining and agreeing the requests for layoffs in extreme weather conditions, just as is happening these days “.
“It’s about technicalities – cut short Pezzoli -. As a precaution, we asked the INPS directly and they explained how to avoid bureaucracy. Applications will be accepted regarding these types of processing. There is not a lot of philosophy to do “.