TRIESTE – The trade unions Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl and Uiltrasporti Fvg are asking the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region to extend to port and airport workers too the protection measures provided for under the regional order issued to protect workers exposed to extreme heat.
While expressing appreciation for the measure adopted by the Region’s Central Directorate for Health, Social Policies and Disability, which introduces urgent measures for the agricultural, floriculture, construction, road and quarrying sectors, the unions point out that some particularly exposed categories have been left out.
The focus is above all on workers operating outdoors in airports and ports. According to Filt Cgil, Fit Cisl and Uiltrasporti, airport handlers working on airport aprons and port operations staff active in operational areas and terminals face conditions every day similar to those covered by the order, with prolonged exposure to high temperatures and strong solar radiation.
The three trade unions stress that these are thousands of female and male workers, including in Friuli Venezia Giulia, carrying out duties in environments where health and safety risks increase significantly during periods of intense heat.
For this reason, they are calling for rapid action by the Region so that the measures provided for are also extended to the airport and port sectors. According to the unions, health protection cannot vary depending on the production sector, but must guarantee the same levels of protection to all workers exposed to the same risk conditions. The objective is to achieve a uniform framework ensuring adequate prevention and safety tools also in port and airport activities, which are particularly exposed to the effects of heatwaves that in recent years have become increasingly frequent and intense.
