Chinese trade unions allocate 40 million yuan for heat alleviation measures

The All-China Federation of Trade Unions has allocated about 40 million yuan ($5.59 million) to local authorities to let people working in high temperatures get cooling-off places, cold drinks and medicines to avoid heatstroke.

The ACFTU has recently launched a program under which local trade union federations are required to provide cooling-off spots, medicines and drinks to outdoor workers involved in transport, logistics, electricity, construction, sanitation, public security and fire services, and also flexible workers, including truck drivers, ride-hailing drivers and deliverymen.

The local federations should organize lectures to build awareness about the risks of high temperatures and sunstroke prevention in order for them to better protect themselves. Round-the-clock psychological consultancy services should also be available to the workers at service centers of the federations.

The ACFTU has required local authorities to urge employers to improve working conditions and arrange outdoor jobs more scientifically. They should also offer protective supplies and subsidies to people performing high-temperature works, it said.