Our union demands that, for the duration of the heatwave, all necessary measures have to be taken to protect agricultural workers and employees at the packing facilities in the area. The employers, the state and the government are responsible to stop outdoor work when temperatures reach 38°C, as well as in indoor spaces lacking proper air conditioning.
The government’s measures — such as issuing circulars at the last minute — seem more or less like mockery, especially when the current government, like the previous ones, has implemented a series of policies that favor employers. One such example is allowing employers to change workers’ arrival times during a heatwave without being required to officially report it.
The overall working conditions, with daily labor accidents and occupational diseases — which are not even recorded in our country — highlight the serious responsibilities of the current and previous governments. These governments have carried out policies that sacrifice workers’ health and lives on the altar of capital’s profits. Flexible employment contracts, work intensification, endless hours, and working even in old age create severe risks to the health and safety of workers.
The government is now preparing to introduce another anti-labor legislation, proposing a 13-hour workday, which will lead to a sharp increase in workplace accidents and occupational illnesses.
We demand:
● Immediate stopping of all outdoor work when temperatures exceed 38°C, or even at lower temperatures depending on relative humidity. Mandatory measurements must be taken in workplaces, and work should stop even before it becomes officially mandatory, based on forecasted conditions from the National Meteorological Service (EMY).
● Full exemption from work during heatwave conditions for workers in vulnerable groups, with full payment of daily wages.
● Development of a heat stress prevention plan for each workplace, taking into account the production process (e.g. frequent and appropriately timed breaks depending on environmental conditions, work intensity, and the use of work uniforms or personal protective equipment).
● Limitation of heavy labor when temperature and humidity conditions create suffocating environments. Continuous provision of cool drinking water near workers’ stations. Creation of properly air-conditioned break areas for worker rest.
● Health and safety measures for all workers, regardless of how they are paid (salary, invoice), with substantial monitoring of employer responsibilities.
● Decisive strengthening of the human resources and technical infrastructure of the Labor Inspectorate and all state control mechanisms in every region of the country. Inspections must focus on the exclusive responsibility of the employerfor the prevention and handling of occupational risks.
We call on all workers to contact the union in any case of employer misconduct in the workplace.
Instead of their profits, our lives matter
