Mayors in the Siracusan area record: halt construction work above 35 degrees.

Last Updated: July 23, 2023

#Siracusa
The mayors of Palazzolo and Priolo have already signed the ordinance two days ago. Now it’s the turn of the mayor of Floridia, another center in Siracusa, where construction work will be halted due to the extremely high temperatures. “Considering the prohibitive temperatures these days, I have decided that in case temperatures exceed 35ºC, as mandated by the regulations on redundancy pay, construction and stone workers will be stopped from working and therefore, workers will be exempt from working activities,” says Mayor Marco Carianni. The ordinance will be in effect until August 31 and only applies to construction workers. “I cannot extend the ordinance to other categories as the existing law does not allow me to, but I rely on the good sense of employers,” clarifies Carianni. Meanwhile, the Cgil is also asking the mayors of Agrigento province to issue ordinances prohibiting construction activities during heatwaves. Here is the letter signed by the general secretary Alfonso Buscemi and the secretaries of the Flai and Fillea categories, Giuseppe Di Franco and Francesco Cosca: “As known, high temperatures can cause health problems or reduce workers’ attention capacity, increasing the risk of accidents. We have requested the Region to halt work during the hottest hours, Calabria and Puglia have done it, but Sicily has not, and the data shows minimal requests for redundancy pay. For these reasons, in exercising your institutional prerogatives, and relying on your sensitivity, as well as for the ordinances that prohibit construction work in tourist areas to avoid disturbing holidaymakers, we invite you to issue ordinances that, based on weather forecasts, block construction and agricultural activities during the time period where it is expected, according to the Sias bulletins from civil protection, to exceed the temperatures set by law.” This request is also supported by the Cgil of Caltanissetta: “The health of workers is a priority to protect, and the highest priority should be given to safety in the workplace,” writes the union.