Kiko, a platform rider, worker aged 42, lamented, “Summer in Manila has never been this hot.” With temperatures soaring to an off-the-charts 47 degrees Celsius, this past summer is not just a record-breaker; it’s a sign of even hotter days ahead, as scientists warn that this could be the “coldest” we will experience.

As the planet warms and technology reshapes our lives, it is the workers in the gig (or platform) economy feeling the heat. Kiko is among the 400,000 platform workers in the country, as reported by Fairwork Philippines. Most of platform workers do not have social insurance (SSS or Philhealth) because of the nature of their employment. They earn their living on a day-to-day basis. Hence, they can’t hit pause or seek shelter just because it’s a scorching 47 degrees outside.

Photo Courtesy of RIDERS-SENTRO

The Heat Index: More Than Just Numbers

When asked about the heat index, Kiko said “It might be 36? But it feels like 47!”, yet it matters to who? Work does not stop at 36 or 47.

The impact of heat varies, inversely tied to social class. The working class bears the brunt under the blazing sun, while the middle class can seek refuge with SPF 50 and a cool drink. As for the elites, they fly out to milder climates at will.

To announce suspensions due to extreme heat indicates intolerable conditions that disrupts daily tasks. For schools with roofs and AC units, they have suspended classes multiple times in the past dry season, prompting some cities to consider heatwave signals akin to typhoon warnings.

Yet, heat, like storms, doesn’t discriminate. Extreme weather affects everyone’s physiology, regardless of social standing—and this is a basic argument for workers to demand better working conditions.

A study on risk perception of heat among workers even warningly says that workers perceive heat stress lowly, that contributes to occupational heat stress as a risk factor for serious medical conditions.¹ In July 2023, five people died in Italy while working under the heatwave. This forms part of the 61,000 deaths due to the European heatwave that is projected to dial up year after year.²

Kiko says, “to pause and seek some shade to cool down helps a little, but to do work stoppage and not seek delivery orders does not help us at all.” Like a planet that heats up, jobs for delivery riders like Kiko has no option B.

Climate Crisis as Work Hazard

Heatwaves, along with other extreme weather conditions, signify a climate emergency and justify demands for hazard pay. Just as frontline workers were compensated during Covid-19 crisis, those enduring the climate crisis’ extreme heat deserve recognition and compensation. But who foots the bill?

Some companies provide basic relief, like cold water for transport workers and shaded rest areas for construction crews. However, the costs of heat-related illnesses (like heat rash, spasms, and heat stroke) aren’t put into paychecks.

Other countries have set-up compensation measures for work interruptions during dangerous levels of heat. The Austrian government has approved a collective bargaining agreement with its federation of construction workers to allow work stoppage for heat of above 32.5ºC with 60% compensation during the work stoppage period.³ France has an inclement weather leave fund for workers in the construction industry;⁴ Germany’s IG BAU—in a CBA with roofing industry workers—compensates up to 53 hours of salary if roofing workers are unable to work due to weather conditions such as extreme heat;⁵ In Italy, when employers declare perceived heat more than 35ºC, they can avail of their unemployment scheme protection, and is also applicable if a worker is laid-off due to inclement weather.⁶

The Costs Have Escaped, The Heat Will Not

Meanwhile, in the Philippines, the Department of Labor has issued a guideline for private sector workers on work suspension due to bad weather.⁷ But for platforms workers like Kiko, the private sector has none or minimal interventions due to its informal type of agreement with its workers. For farmers and other agricultural workers, they could literally farm to death with this dangerous heat, and no business intervention would be there to save them.

While the mentioned countries are developed economies, a climate finance scheme is actually available for developing countries, especially for informal and platform workers.⁸ The Philippine government, in Kiko’s behalf, can argue that workers incur loss and damages due to heat and that corporations are liable to this.

Absent of this loss and damage framework, corporations would only charge the health hazard pay to consumers and escape their cost of heating up the planet. The alt-right would then blame workers for higher cost of goods—a time-tested cost-escaping strategy of corporations. All this happening while the heat they have produced does not escape the atmosphere and only goes back to us. To put a house on fire and then walk away like nothing happened is arson. Those who contributed to this global arson should actually pay its price and not add more fuel to this burning planet.

US Senator Bernie Sanders rightly pointed out how the alt-right propaganda puts the battle among workers vs consumers instead of uniting the people versus corporate greed and the climate crisis. Workers should not be afraid to demand a health hazard pay for taking the heat. Consumers should not blame workers who deliver their lunch in their air-conditioned buildings. Instead, consumers should take on this heat with workers and demand for a health hazard pay.

Whether in the perspective of suspensions or heat-indices, this heat is an occupational hazard. Workers deserve a compensation to this health hazard—and carbon corporations should pay for it. Not Kiko, not you.

Notes
¹ Bonafede, M., Levi, M., Pietrafesa, E., Binazzi, A., Marinaccio, A., Morabito, M., Pinto, I., de’ Donato, F., Grasso, V., Costantini, T., & Messeri, A. (2022). Workers’ perception heat stress: Results from a pilot study conducted in italy during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(13), 8196.
² Limb, L. (2023, July 24). Heat stress: How can we save workers from a ‘silent killer’? Euronews.
³ Building and Wood Workers’ International. (2024). Adapting to the Heat: Existing Global Responses for Workers in Construction, Building Materials, Wood, and Forestry Industries (p. 44). Building and Wood Workers’ International.
⁴ Proposition de loi, 1587, 16e législature (2023).
⁵ Building and Wood Workers’ International. (2018, November 9). New agreement gives wage increase to German roofing workers. Building and Wood Workers’ International.
⁶ Italy readies special furlough scheme to save workers from heatwave. (2023, July 25). Reuters.
⁷ Patinio, F. (2022, August 25). DOLE issues guidelines on work suspension due to bad weather. Philippine News Agency; Philippine News Agency.
⁸ Protecting People from Extreme Heat: 10 Steps for Governments to Address Human Rights Impact of Climate Crisis. (2022, July 21). Human Rights Watch.