ECJ EUROPEAN Cleaning Journal

Hundreds of street cleaners marched through Barcelona to protest against the death of a colleague who had worked during record high temperatures in June.

Union members claim that 12 other cleaners have suffered heatstroke in the city this summer. And they are pushing for tougher regulations to protect an aging workforce from climate change.

Montse Aguilar, 51, had been employed as a Barcelona street cleaner by FCC Medio Ambiente for three years before her death in June. She had been working in temperatures of around 35 degrees when she was taken ill.

Protesters marched behind a banner reading "Extreme Heat Is Also Workplace Violence!" and complained that they had to buy their own water. They also demanded better summer clothing and more breaks during the sweltering summers.

Fellow street sweeper Antonia Rodríguez said the blistering summers have made her work unbearable. "I have been doing this job for 23 years and each year the heat is worse," she said. "Something has to be done." Extreme heat has fuelled more than 1,000 excess deaths in June and July in Spain, according to the Carlos III Health Institute.

New rules covering the companies that are contracted to clean Barcelona's streets were issued before the protest. These require workers to be issued with a hat, sun cream and breathable uniforms and to be given hourly water breaks when temperatures reach 34 C. They should also follow routes that allow time in the shade and stop work altogether when temperatures hit 40 C.

However, the protesters claim that none of the clothing changes have been put into effect and that workers are punished for allegedly slacking in the heat. FCC Medio Ambiente declined to comment on the protesters' complaints, but offered its condolences to Aguilar's family and said all staff members were trained on how to work safely in hot weather.