Editorials

Labor protection

(China Daily)
Updated: 2010-08-05 07:48

Eight workers lost their lives due to heatstroke between Friday and Sunday in Jinan, capital of Shandong province.

These construction and sanitation workers were exposed for prolonged periods to the scorching heat, and internal organ failure and brain damage were cited as reasons for the deaths.

A local government circular requiring employers to protect workers and suspend work during temperature peaks was clearly ignored.

Related readings:  Heatwave kills eight in Jinan  China cooks up a heatwave to suit all tastes

Under the Labor Law, employers are obliged to provide better work conditions and offer adequate protection to their staff during hot summer days. Unbridled profit motive and tight construction schedules are all that matters to some of these employers. It should not be so.

Breaks at regular intervals and ensuring workers do not suffer from dehydration is vital and should have been enforced strictly. The lives lost is tragic proof that they were not.

It is high time the provincial government pulled up such errant employers; the legal procedure to nail them is often not sound enough. Specific regulations need to be promulgated to better protect workers' rights. Surprise checks by local governments regarding work safety are sorely needed to instill fear in those employers who openly flout the rules.

Even if employers disregard safety stipulations, it falls upon the government to crack the whip and ensure that such tragedies are not repeated.

(China Daily 08/05/2010 page8)