Discretionary heat breaks fuel dispute on Styrian construction sites

A discretionary heat-break rule has become a point of dispute on construction sites in Styria as the year’s second heat wave creates almost unbearable working conditions, ORF reported Wednesday. The Construction and Wood Workers’ Union says the heat-protection regulation in force since January does not go far enough.

Workers need several drinking breaks a day, including around midday in Fürstenfeld, where temperatures were already extremely high. If the thermometer rises above 32.5 degrees Celsius, workers may stop work because of the heat, said Christian Supper, the union’s Styrian chairman. Many workers are making use of that option.

But the union says heat breaks at that temperature are only permitted, not mandatory. If work deadlines are then missed, clients often show little understanding, Supper said. Building owners should also be involved because they have a social responsibility towards workers. “People must come before deadlines,” he said, adding that working at 38, 40 or 41 degrees was simply impossible.

Employers, however, have little support for mandatory heat breaks from 32.5 degrees. Each construction site must be assessed separately and handled flexibly, said Josef Paul Gasser of the Styrian construction trade guild. Work could, for example, continue normally in the lower apartments of an almost completed building, he said.

“A deadline remains a deadline,” Gasser said, adding that contractors alone would bear the risk of penalties resulting from heat-related days off. In Fürstenfeld, the building owner, construction company and workers have reached an agreement. Work was suspended on Wednesday and will also be suspended in the coming days if temperatures exceed 32.5 degrees.