A survey of workers in Northern Ireland has found more than half were expected to turn up for outdoor work during a recent storm.
The figures from Unite the Union showed that 59% of those surveyed had been expected to turn up for work taking place outside despite the red weather warning in place due to Storm Eowyn.
Since the 2018 death of union member Matthew Campbell, who was killed by a falling tree while working during Storm Ali, Unite has had a series of meetings with Stormont departments around the need to protect workers from the impact of extreme weather.
Economy minister Caoimhe Archibald has committed to holding a ‘round table’ to address these issues.
The figures released show only 23% of those said they felt safe during the storm and 66% said they did not consider their employer had taken all reasonable precautions.
Of those whose employer did not require them to work on the day of the storm, over half had to take the day as annual leave, unpaid leave, flexitime, sick leave or time-off-in-lieu,(TOIL) or holiday.
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.”
The union is also proposing a statutory maximum working temperature.
In the Republic, Unite said it was seeking a meeting with Enterprise Minister Peter Burke to discuss its proposals.
These include four days’ paid “climate leave” if conditions render travel hazardous or workers need to address pressing domestic needs resulting from extreme weather.
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