"Is unsatisfactory"

Construction workers had fewer heat holidays in 2024

As has been widely reported, there is a special heat regulation for the construction industry.

(Bild: stock.adobe.com/© Andreas G. Karelias, stock.adobe.com)

In view of the statistically proven increase in the number of heat days, the construction trade union GBH is dissatisfied with the current heat leave regulations. In the summer of 2024, for example, taking June and July into account, proportionally significantly fewer heat-free days were granted than in the previous summer as a whole.

In the previous year, around one in four construction workers were granted more or less time off in the summer as a whole. According to GBH boss Josef Muchitsch (SPÖ), this is between one hour and a few afternoons.

This year, an initial evaluation of the data for June and July shows that only around one in ten construction workers was granted heat leave. The hot August has not yet been evaluated here - and the heat is currently still continuing in the south and east of the country in September with temperatures of up to 35 degrees Celsius.

Heat holiday in construction

As has been widely reported, there is a special heat regulation for the construction industry. This allows companies to give employees time off from 32.5 degrees. There is no obligation - naturally, not all employers make use of this option. If heat leave is granted, both employees and employers are entitled to reimbursement from the BUAK bad weather fund (construction workers', vacation and severance pay fund), which they also fill jointly.

100,000 work outdoors
"In June and July, just over 9,000 construction workers were granted heat leave," says Muchitsch. "Last year, there were 23,000 over the entire summer." Of around 135,000 construction workers in total, around 100,000 are working outdoors and could therefore potentially be affected by the heat. Certain employee protection laws should be adapted to the new climate conditions.

Construction work usually starts so early that by the time the temperature reaches 32.5 hours, work has often already been going on for eight hours. Therefore, legislation could be passed to limit working hours to eight hours on hot days.