Xinhua News Agency, Harbin, December 15 -
Title: "Frozen" mode struck, outdoor workers enjoy the "low-temperature allowance" yet?
Xinhua News Agency "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporters Wang Jian and Halina
In the past few days, the lowest temperature in Harbin has dropped to more than minus 20 degrees Celsius.
On Minsheng Road, Xiangfang District, Harbin City, sanitation worker Ding Zhanwen was sweeping garbage at around 7 o'clock in the morning.
He wrapped himself tightly, showing only his eyes, with a layer of cream on his eyelashes.
When asked if he ever received a low temperature allowance for outdoor work in winter, he replied: "I have heard of high temperature allowance, but never heard of low temperature allowance. I don't know if you don't say it.
Recently, with the arrival of the cold wave, the coldest weather since the beginning of winter has appeared in many places.
In the “quick freezing” mode, there are still some workers who are still holding their posts in the cold wind, such as sanitation workers and courier brothers.
Relevant national regulations mention low temperature allowances, but the "Xinhua Viewpoint" reporter survey found that many workers don't know much about it, and few people get it.
Many people have never heard of it, let alone received
Ding Zhanwen has been a sanitation worker for 6 years. He works 8 hours a day outdoors and earns a monthly salary of 2,160 yuan.
He has never received a low temperature allowance after working in the Northeast for so many years.
The average winter temperature in Heihe City, Heilongjiang Province can reach minus 20 degrees Celsius.
Li Ping, a courier at a courier company in Heihe City, said: "I heard about the low temperature allowance, but I haven't received it."
The reporter checked the relevant laws and regulations and found that the "Minimum Wage Regulations" formulated by the original Ministry of Labor and Social Security and implemented on March 1, 2004 clearly mentioned low temperature allowances: in the case of workers providing normal labor, employers should pay The wages of workers shall not be lower than the local minimum wage standard after excluding allowances under special working environments and conditions such as mid-shift, night shift, high temperature and low temperature.
In 2015, the former National Health and Family Planning Commission, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other departments announced the revised "Catalogue of Occupational Disease Hazard Factors" which listed "low temperature" as one of the occupational disease hazards.
In 2013, the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region issued relevant regulations on the distribution of low temperature allowances for high-cold posts.
Although Inner Mongolia has introduced regulations on low temperature allowances for more than 7 years, the reporter interviewed more than a dozen outdoor workers such as sanitation workers, couriers, and security guards. They all said they did not understand low temperature allowances.
“We are here from late December to early January every year, and the highest temperature is below minus 30 degrees Celsius for nearly a month. When working outdoors, my hands and feet sometimes freeze like popsicles, but I have never enjoyed low temperature allowance.” Hulunbuir, Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region Said Wang Lixin, a sanitation worker in New Barhu Right Banner.
Why do the relevant regulations become empty words?
In recent years, more and more people understand the high temperature allowance. In some places, not only the weather with a maximum temperature of 35 degrees Celsius or more is high temperature, but also the allowance and rest system for workers in high temperature weather have been regulated.
Compared with the high temperature allowance, the low temperature allowance is still little known.
The relevant person in charge of the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Heihe City told reporters that Heihe City does not have relevant regulations on low temperature allowances. As for outdoor workers, such as sanitation workers and couriers, whether they have low temperature allowances is up to the enterprise to decide.
The staff of the Sanitation Office of the Urban Management Bureau of Saihan District, Hohhot said that the Sanitation Office mainly supervises the operations of enterprises and sanitation workers, and other matters are not within the scope of supervision of the unit.
The reporter sent an interview letter to the Department of Human Resources and Social Security of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region on the implementation of low temperature allowances in Inner Mongolia, but the person in charge of the labor relations department of the unit said that he was unwilling to be interviewed on this issue.
Experts said that although some places have issued relevant regulations or notices regarding the issuance of low temperature allowances, they lack coercive force; if the employer does not take the initiative, the regulations will be useless.
Only relying on the enterprise's consciousness makes it difficult to implement.
Qu Wenyong, a professor of sociology at Heilongjiang University, said that low temperature allowances are not as valued as high temperature allowances, which is also related to the relatively small number of outdoor workers in winter.
For example, many construction workers still insist on working in the hot weather in summer, but in places where the temperature is relatively low in winter, most of the projects have been suspended.
Strengthen the protection of outdoor workers, and refine measures to implement responsibilities
It is understood that working in a low temperature environment for a long time may cause harm to the human cardiovascular system, immune system, bones and joints, etc., and induce a variety of occupational diseases.
Zhao Ruizheng, a researcher at the Heilongjiang Provincial Academy of Social Sciences, said that workers in extreme cold weather stick to their posts and make important contributions to ensuring the normal operation of society and people's daily lives.
With the improvement of the level of economic and social development, the whole society should be more concerned about their cold and warm, and the low temperature allowance should be implemented.
In recent years, extreme weather has increased, and the protection of workers under outdoor hard conditions has become more and more worthy of attention.
Zhao Ruizheng suggested that, in terms of top-level design, special policies and regulations for labor protection in low temperature weather can be formulated, such as the introduction of low temperature operation protection management measures, further clarifying the scope of cold weather operation, the legal responsibility of enterprises in arrears of low temperature allowances, etc., and establishing a responsibility accountability system.
Zhang Min, deputy director of the Institute of Public Administration of the Academy of Social Sciences of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, suggested that you can refer to the practice of high temperature allowances and make principle requirements for the main body of the low temperature allowance implementation system, the object, conditions, amount, month, form, etc. of the allowance, and the local conditions should be adapted To refine.
Industry insiders also suggest that low temperature allowances can be included in public service projects purchased by the government, and government guidance can be used to encourage relevant industries and enterprises to actively implement low temperature allowance regulations.
In addition, the role of trade unions at all levels should be further brought into play, and employers should be urged to strictly implement protective measures for low-temperature operations and the issuance of low-temperature allowances, and support workers' rights protection in accordance with the law.
The relevant departments of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that the country does not have a low temperature allowance system, but we encourage companies to be people-oriented, adapt measures to local conditions, and reflect factors such as extreme cold and severe weather in wage distribution, tilt toward frontline and difficult jobs, and better care for workers. Build harmonious labor relations.